The compound, derived from the bryozoan Bugula neritina, a tiny marine organism, could activate latent pockets of the virus that make the disease almost impossible to eradicate, according to researchers at UCLA. Current HIV treatment with antiretrovirals are expensive and require a demanding drug regimen that only affects the active HIV, not the dormant virus found within T-cells. Scientists hope the discovery will lead to a cure for HIV, and possibly for treating cancer and Alzheimer's disease too.