Infection from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can be blocked by a chemical called CSA-54, according to US based scientists. The disease is reportedly responsible for 25 million deaths across the world since 1981. The lab tests of the chemical CSA-54 found that it disables the virus's ability to infect cells, according to BBC News.
The tests were carried out by researcher Derya Unutmaz, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and his team. HIV specifically targets a type of immune cell called CD4+. The lab tests showed that CSA-54 blocked infection by disrupting HIV's ability to interact with the cells. The compound is expected to be equally effective against all the strains of the HIV virus.
The chemical was developed by the scientists at Brigham Young University, Utah, and is licensed to a company called Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals. Brigham Young University and Vanderbilt have jointly filed a patent on the compounds. The research is still at its early stages, and many years may pass before clinical trials are conducted.