Researchers from Rutgers' New Jersey Medical School said that the drug caused the HIV-infected cells to "commit suicide" by blocking the mitochondria, which is a cell's "powerhouse." Normal cells actually have a built-in self-destruct function that is triggered when they become infected or damaged. However, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can disable this so-called suicide feature. Ciclopirox was shown to reactivate this ability while also sparing the healthy cells.
