The article discusses the need for novel agents to combat the influenza virus and the use of a cell-based assay to identify small molecules that inhibit the function of NS1, a protein that suppresses the host immune response and promotes viral gene expression. The assay uses budding yeast S. cerevisiae to express NS1, which causes a slow growth phenotype, and can be used to identify potential broad-spectrum anti-influenza compounds. Is the molecule effective to this assay?