Scientists use supercomputers in new approach to HIV drug design

Scientists use supercomputer in new approach to HIV drug design

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and electronics giant IBM are using powerful computing technology - including the world's most powerful supercomputer, Blue Gene - in a new approach to designing drugs that inhibit infection by the HIV virus.

The project is focused on how the human HIV-1 virus attaches to cells in the body. Researchers are examining a fragment of the surface protein of the virus, which is crucial in stimulating the body's immune response to viral attack. Understanding the structure and behavior of the peptide will allow for drugs to be designed which can target this infection process.