In this work led by Dr. Islam Hussein, our group has found that an engineered mutation in the influenza replication machinery of a wild bird H9N2 virus allows it to replicate in human cells, indicating that this mutation is likely implicated in adaptation of wild animal-origin viruses to humans. Co-authors on the paper include lab members Dr. Nichola J Hill and Eric J. Ma; Justin Bahl (UT Houston), Brandt Meixell and Mark Lindberg (USGS), and Randy Albrecht (Mt. Sinai School of Medicine).