HIV researchers and scientists have found another way to battle HIV and this one will actually make the virus kill itself without disturbing any healthy cells.

Suicide Mode of HIV

After decades of studying the virus which causes AIDS, experts and scientists have prepared something to make it kill itself without harming healthy cells and prevent the spread of infection. Drexel University researchers are stepping ahead of the virus with a new microbicide to trick HIV from thinking "suicide" rather than infecting any cells.

The microbicide is called DAVEI or Dual Action Virolytic Entry Inhibitor which quickly acts against HIV. DAVEI was invented, developed and tested by scientists from several institutes in Drexel University - College of Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems and College of Medicine.

DAVEI is the latest in the next-generation HIV treatments after the most commonly used HAART which specifically designed to destroy the virus without causing any problems to healthy cells inside the body.

"While several molecules that destroy HIV have recently been announced, DAVEI is unique among them by virtue of its design, specificity and high potency," Dr. Cameron Abrams, a professor in Drexel's College of Engineering said; quoted by MedicalXpress.

How DAVEI Works?

DAVEI's primary idea came from a molecule design which hijacks the virus' fusion machinery - specific tool it needs to attach on healthy cells. Normally, HIV needs to attach itself via protein "spikes" to healthy cells then collapses to pull viral and cell membranes together which fuses the genetic contents of each other, causing infection and disabling the immune system. By using DAVEI, HIV will prematurely activate its viral machinery fusion which sends the virus into suicide.

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"We hypothesized that an important role of the fusion machinery is to open the viral membrane when triggered and it follows that a trigger didn't necessarily have to be a doomed cell. So we envisioned particular ways the components of the viral fusion machinery work and designed a molecule that would trigger it prematurely," explained Dr Abrams on DAVEI.

DAVEI boasts two components, the MPER or Membrane Proximal External Region and Cyanovirin to trick HIV. MPER is a small of the fusion machinery and interacts strongly with viral membranes while Cyanovirin binds to the sugar coating of the protein spikes. Using both in DAVEI will signal HIV to attach itself to it, thinking a healthy cell was found but rather infecting an imaginary target.

"For lack of a better term, DAVEI tricks the virus into thinking it is about to infect a healthy cell, when in fact, there is nothing there for it to infect. Instead, it releases its genetic payload harmlessly and dies," Dr Abrams said, detailing the essential part of DAVEI.

DAVEI and other viral inactivators are currently under development and extensive study. This new method and design opened a brand-new concept on how antiretroviral should work in humans without getting the patient risky on side effects.