Washington (dpa) - U.S. scientists have developed a protein that prevents the AIDS virus from infecting cells, according to research published Friday in the journal Science.

In the laboratory, the protein dubbed 5-Helix, prevented HIV from fusing to a cell's membrane and starting an HIV infection. Tests on humans have yet to be conducted.

The article's authors - Michael Root, Michael Kay and Peter Kim of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - said they hope their discovery could lead to new treatments against AIDS and other viruses.

They added that it could also lead to an AIDS vaccine but described that possibility as remote.

The discovery could be the most helpful for people with HIV who have not responded well to today's treatments or who have developed resistance to the current crop of drugs.

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