CSIRO discovers critical immunity gene

[Ulquiorra]

Australian researchers have discovered a new gene that could lead to treatments for cancer, arthritis and influenza.

The gene, called C6, plays a critical role in regulating the body's immune response to infection and disease and it could help scientists develop more targeted therapies for a variety of diseases.

A team at the CSIRO have found the gene regulates the production of proteins called cytokines to stop our immune system from spiralling out of control - cytokines work to prevent diseases by stopping viruses from replicating.

Although C6 has existed for 500 million years, its importance has only been understood through new research.

The scientists made the "lucky" find while researching the deadly Hendra virus after they were moved to action by an episode of Australian Story on the ABC a decade ago.

Equine vet Ben Cunneen died in 2008 after contracting the rare disease while treating a sick horse, inspiring the CSIRO team to find a treatment using a painstakingly slow and careful process.

Team leader Andrew Bean says the scientists had to make sure they could work without contracting the virus themselves, working in a space with tight biosecurity while wearing "those space suits".

One by one, the researchers "switched off" around 20,000 genes in the human genome to learn how they interact with the virus.

"If we turn it off, the virus can't use it. And if the virus can't replicate then we know that's important to the virus," Dr Bean told AAP.

"(Viruses) use a method of hijacking our genes to fill in for the genes they are not carrying with them."

Although the researchers found the gene in 2014, they have spent the following years understanding how it works.

Now, a public appeal has been launched to help name the gene, whose longer moniker is C6orf106 and reflects the gene's location rather than its function.

The public have been invited to go to www.csiro.au/namethegene and do better than "Gene McGeneface" - in reference to a political debacle in NSW that saw a ferry named "Ferry McFerryface" by the public.