Innovations Report, April 30, 2007 GALVESTON - Biomedical researchers have identified a cellular protein that interferes with hepatitis C virus replication, a finding that ultimately may help scientists develop new drugs to fight the virus. The anti-hepatitis C activity of the protein, called "p21-activated kinase 1" (PAK1), was discovered by scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), who describe their findings in an article in the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. In addition to presenting the researchers' discovery that PAK1 controls the rate at which hepatitis C virus replicates, the paper describes the biochemical pathways that lead to PAK1 activation and the specific mechanisms by which PAK1interferes with the ability of hepatitis C to hijack liver cells and make more copies of itself. (This story has appeared widely in the national and international science news.)