A team of UW-Madison researchers has discovered a way to genetically neutralize the deadly Ebola virus, according to an article published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus,” Yoshihiro Kawaoka, the lead author of the study and a UW-Madison professor of path biological sciences, said in the article. “This is a great system.”

The system developed by the researchers could expand further study of the virus, which kills 50-90 percent of its human victims, according to a statement.

The finding also makes the virus safer to study, as it currently requires the highest level of biosafety.

“Knowledge of this virus is limited,” Kawaoka said. “This system can be used for drug screening and for vaccine production.”