HONOLULU -- Researchers at the University of Hawaii have been given the green light for a study on the West Nile virus.

The head of the study showed how safeguards have been taken to keep the virus from escaping the lab.

The University of Hawaii has already been doing research on the West Nile virus, which is spread from mosquitoes and can be fatal to birds, horses and humans.

UH's John A. Burns School of Medicine went before the state board of agriculture to do more research on how the virus infects the brain.

"The first part is diagnostics. We'll go into prevention. The second part is therapy. We'll go into the therapeutic aspect of the whole process of West Nile virus infection. So it is going to help all of us in the long run," said Vivek Nerurkar of the UH School of Medicine.

The school of medicine will be injecting the virus into mice as part of the experiment.

Researchers showed that there are several safeguards to protect them and the public from spreading the virus. That included at least seven different protected entrances to get to the lab itself.

UH already has been doing research, and has strains of the virus stored in the Kakaako facility. It will use those strains for the new study.

The school also has been doing outreach to show what's going on inside.

"We have been to several community meetings, community boards, telling them how secure we are and what kind of work we're doing in here," Nerurkar said.

The board's approval means the yearlong study can begin next month.