A New Hope in the Fight Against HIV

A major breakthrough in HIV prevention has just been approved by the FDA. The drug, called Yeztugo, is based on research done by a biochemist from the University of Utah. This drug is special because it can protect people from HIV for a long time, up to six months. It works by stopping the virus from building its protective shell, which is crucial for it to spread. The research behind this drug started way back in the late '90s. The team found that the virus's shell is very sensitive to changes. Even small tweaks can stop the virus from copying itself. This discovery caught the attention of a big pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences, who then developed the drug with the help of the biochemist. In big tests done in South Africa and Uganda, not a single person who took the drug got HIV. This is a huge deal because HIV is still a big problem worldwide, with 1. 3 million new infections every year. The drug is also different from other HIV drugs because it can actually prevent the virus from infecting someone, not just treat it. But the work isn't done yet. The biochemist behind this breakthrough is still working hard. He wants to find a vaccine that can protect everyone, not just those at risk. He compares his work to climbing a mountain, driven by curiosity and the desire to understand how things work at a tiny, molecular level.