By Sophia Friesen, Manager, Science Communications, University of Utah Health

Wesley Sundquist, Ph.D., Samuels Professor and chair of biochemistry at the University of Utah, laid the foundation for the development of a highly effective, long-lasting prophylactic against HIV, which has been named the Breakthrough of the Year by Science, a top scientific journal. The drug lenacapavir, developed by Gilead Sciences, provides protection for half a year instead of one day and has performed extremely well in clinical trials.

Sundquist’s research focuses on understanding how the HIV virus is built on a molecular level and how it interacts with the body to infect and spread through cells.

By purifying and analyzing the protein shell that surrounds the virus’s genetic material, Sundquist’s team discovered what the shell looks like and how it’s put together. Importantly, the research team found that the virus’s shell is highly sensitive to changes. Making even small tweaks to the proteins that make up the shell stopped the virus from replicating as quickly, which suggested that drugs that affect the protein shell could prove to be effective.

Click here to read the full story on University of Utah Health’s website.