Purdue University professor and researcher Arun Ghosh led a team that has developed a compound that prevents the replication of the SARS virus.

Although the findings were strictly in lab tests, Ghosh said he's excited that the findings could be replicated in trials and could help make discoveries to treat other diseases such as cancer and herpes.

"On a molecular level, the basic chemistry we created can be used in other areas," Ghosh said.

The molecule Ghosh designed prevents the replication of the SARS virus. However, the molecule still would have to be tested in animals to determine toxicity and then pass clinical trials, Ghosh said.

He said his team has worked on ways to stop the spread of SARS since the 2003 outbreak. That year, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus, or SARS, infected nearly 8,098 people worldwide, and of those infected, 774 died.

"Since the outbreak happened, we jumped on the project," Ghosh said. "It was a severe threat and we knew we could make a difference."

He said there isn't an immediate threat for SARS, but it could come back, and it could be dangerous because a cure hasn't been developed.

Researchers from the University of Illinois-Chicago also worked on the project. Ghosh has been at Purdue since July 2005 and is a professor in the disciplines of organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. Prior to teaching in West Lafayette, he taught at the University of Illinois-Chicago for 11 years.

Ghosh's research also has yielded the HIV drug Darunavir, which the Food and Drug Administration approved for use in 2006 for patients who don't respond to treatment. He said last month, the FDA approved the drug to be used among the general population of HIV-positive and AIDS patients.