When the disease called aids was first discovered to be a virus in the 80s, many pharmacies prepared for this widely spread disease by stocking up on antibiotics. These antibiotics however, were only designed to treat bacterial infections. It was at this time that scientist discovered that this disease was actually caused by a virus and not bacteria. Because the AIDS virus was so widely spread it prompted scientists to search for a way to cure diseases that were caused by viruses. We have since been in the process of discovering antiviral therapies that would cure HIV which is the cause of AIDS. In doing so, we have not only tripped upon ways to treat AIDS we may have also discovered ways to treat other viruses too.One of these new developments is called viral genomics Which basically makes sense of the sequence of nucleic acids in a viruses genetic code. This order of nucleic acids form the code for viral proteins that are basically the working parts of the viruses and control the virus. With this information scientists are able to learn how the individual viruses are able to cause disease in humans such as AIDS. Once the virus is decoded, scientists are then able to use computers to compare the virus to other viruses. This allows us to identify molecules in the virus that are worth targeting. There are stages that every virus must go through in order for it to infect the cell. During these steps the virus is extremely vulnerable and can be disrupted by pharmaceuticals. The first stage of the virus undergoes is binding. Binding is when the virus attaches to the cell and allows the virus do what is called fusion . This is when the virus and the cell membrane fuse, allowing the virus into the cell. Once the virus is in the cell, it then uncoats itself freeing viral genes and enzymes. After the uncoating stage the virus then goes through the fourth stage, called reverse transcription, in this stage copies of viral RNA and DNA are prod...
