Globally, there are about 37 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 1.2 million died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2014.  In the US, over 1.1 million live with HIV/AIDS and 50,000 new cases are reported each year.  The HIV therapeutics market was valued at $14.3 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach $16.3 billion by 2019.  While highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) delays the onset of AIDS, it does not provide a cure for HIV infection.  Similarly, there are no clinically used agents that directly destroy mature HIV-1 virions before the particles enter the host cell.

Researchers in the Chaiken lab have created a fusion protein with specific HIV-1 antiviral activity that simultaneously binds to both virus Env protein subunits.  More specifically, the fusion is the lectin cyanovirin-N (CVN) and the gp41 membrane-proximal external region peptide (MPER).  Engaging these viral proteins destabilizes viral entry, inactivating the virus before it can enter the host cell.  While there are a few examples in the literature of two-component fusions as HIV-1 inhibitors, this work is the first example that specifically achieves highly potent lytic inactivation of HIV-1.  Testing is planned to measure the effects on Env-expressing cells.