Cool Video: HIV’s Inner Shell

This video shows a computer-generated model of the approximately 4.2 million atoms of the HIV capsid, the shell that encloses the virus’s genetic material. Scientists determined the exact structure of the capsid and the proteins that it’s made of using a variety of imaging techniques and analyses. They then entered this data into a supercomputer that produced the atomic-level image of the capsid. This structural information could be used for developing drugs that target the capsid, possibly leading to more effective therapies.

Source: NIGMS Biomedical Beat - June 20, 2013 Category: Research Source Type: news