Aiding aids

A molecule traced recently might help in preventing the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) infection. Yvette van Kooyk of the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, along with her team, discovered the molecule. The molecule is found on cells with finger like projections that lie just beneath the skin and on surfaces of body parts like the vagina, urethra and penis. According to Kooyk, the molecule helps HIV, the AIDS causing virus, to enter the human body, survive and then amplify in large amounts to damage the immune system leading to AIDS. "The research is one of the most exciting discoveries in the past year relating to AIDS," said Douglas D Richman, of the University of California, USA. The findings may help in developing a chemical which when inserted in the vagina could act as a microbiocide, preventing hiv 's entry into the body.