Fluorescent Protein Sensor to Diagnose HIV at Low Cost

Shengxi Chen of Arizona State University in the U.S. will design and prepare a fluorescent sCD4 protein that changes color when it binds to the HIV pg120 protein. By directly detecting a virus protein instead of antibodies or RNA, which take days to months to accumulate sufficiently to detect, HIV infection can be diagnosed immediately to help prevent the spread of the epidemic.