One UVM lab’s surprise discovery led to flu science breakthrough

Emily Bruce, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, at the University of Vermont in Burlington in April 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerIt was by accident that Emily Bruce’s lab upended a long-held understanding of how the flu virus infects humans and stumbled across a finding that could set the stage for better prevention.That chance discovery evolved into a paper out this week in the Journal of Virology that details how different flu viruses enter and infe