Simon Fraser University researchers have identified a chemical compound derived from sea sponges that inhibits HIV at low concentrations and has an action mechanism that is distinct from licensed antiretroviral drugs.

In a new study published in Antiviral Research, SFU Faculty of Health Sciences researchers Ian Tietjen, Zabrina Brumme, and Mark Brockman and colleagues tested the antiviral properties of 252 compounds derived from marine sponges and microorganisms.

From these compounds, they identified six with antiretroviral capability and one, called bengamide A, with significant efficacy at the same low concentrations as many antiretroviral drugs.

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