The 3D structure of the HIV virus has been revealed for the first time, scientists say.

The variable size and shape of HIV has made it hard to map, the team said in the journal Structure. So the UK-German team took hundreds of images of viruses and used a computer program to combine them.

“Identifying how the virus grows will allow us to address the formation of this important pathogen and how it accommodates its variability,” said Oxford University Professor Stephen Fuller. “This could inform the development of more effective therapeutic approaches.”