HIV dissolving on contact

Here at our very college, Texas A&M University, assistant chemical engineering professor Zhilei Chen and her group of researchers found a synthetic compound of PD 404,182 that breaks apart the AIDS-causing virus on contact. This compound is a virucidal small-molecule meaning it has the ability to kill a virus; by breaking it open and making it lose its genetic material, it exposes its RNA, and since RNA is unstable it is rendered non-infectious. This compound works for cells that have not become infected yet, so HIV would need to be spotted early in the patient. What is important and shocking is this compound opens this virus through something other than the viral envelope protein meaning that the virus can not alter its proteins to bolster its resistance, which has always made HIV difficult to treat. For now, this compound is not a cure for HIV, but after it was tested in vaginal fluid, it could proceed as a preventative in the form of a vaginal gel to prevent the spreading from one carrier to the next.

HIV, which leads to AIDS, is a deadly STD that is huge concern to sexually-active teens and adults. Could this compound lead to a revolutionary study that could cure the HIV epidemic and possibly lead to a cure for AIDS? With sexual activity and maturity starting younger and younger as new generations age, the number of partners before marriage are increasing and STD's are blossoming. With HIV being one of the main concerns, due to there being no cure, this finding could lead to positive and negative effects.

http://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2011/11/21/research-finds-hiv-killing-compound/?utm_source=tamutimes&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011-12-02