A virus that is practically indestructible may help in the fight against diseases.

Researchers have found a viral agent that can survive just about any harsh environment, including boiling acid, and they believe that the virus could serve as a protective force-field for DNA against attacks from outside, according to media reports.

Called SIRV2, the virus can handle extreme heat, drought, and even ultraviolet rays, and it can enfold DNA in a cover that could allow it to be used in gene therapy.

SIRV2 works by entering an organism that lives in acid springs at temperatures beyond the boiling point, an organism that may have led to the creation of a deadly disease like anthrax. But scientists see this as an opportunity to understand how this viral agent survives in such incredibly inhospitable conditions and how it might be used in the future to combat diseases.

Scientists used a Titan Krios electron microscope to uncover the answers.

One scientists said the SIRV2 virus forces the DNA in a protective structural state termed “A-form.” The spores are responsible for some horrific diseases, and now it may be used for good.

Scientists will need to find an effective way for DNA delivery. Creating an impenetrable DNA would overcome many problems with infectious diseases, and SIRV2 could help scientists achieve that elusive goal.