Targeting the HIV Virus: Researchers Use Supercomputer to Solve the Structure of the HIV-1 Capsid

The HIV virus is housed inside a protective shell called a capsid. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to creating truly effective therapies to combat the virus is that no one knows the exact structure of the HIV capsid. Until now. Researchers Klaus Schulten and Juan Perilla at the University of Illinois have successfully used the power of one of the fastest supercomputers in the world to create a detailed molecular map of the HIV-1 capsid. The study offers a first look at the structure of the HIV