Source: Science Centric
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have discovered a new agent that might inhibit the infectivity of HIV. The agent, surfen, impairs the action of a factor in semen that greatly enhances the viral infection. Surfen might be used to supplement current HIV microbicides to greatly reduce HIV transmission during sexual contact.
The discovery was made by Nadia Roan, PhD, a senior fellow in the laboratory of GIVI Director Warner Greene, MD, PhD. Surfen is a small molecule that inhibits the actions of certain polysaccharide molecules called heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) that are found on the surface of cells. Importantly for HIV infection, it also interferes with the action of semen-derived enhancer of viral infection (SEVI). The discovery was published in the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
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