HIV in Cells Completely Eradicated, Is a Cure Close?

March 23, 2024
ALEXANDER

HIV in Cells Completely Eradicated

Medical Express has shared some research that will be shared at the upcoming European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. A team of scientists in the Netherlands have used the latest CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology to totally eradicate any traces of the HIV virus at the cell level. Could this mean a cure is close?

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CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology has proven to be a breakthrough in molecular biology and can employ precise modifications to the DNA of organisms. The method has been so momentous in the medical field, it garnered the inventors the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.

This gene editing can literally act like scissors and cut DNA at certain spots, deleting unwanted genes or preventing any new genetic material from entering a cell. One of the main challenges in HIV treatment has been the virus' integration into the host DNA, making it almost impossible to target and eliminate. This changes all of that. Current treatment must be maintained on a regular basis to protect against HIV resurgence.

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In a statement presented by the researchers, they state: "Our aim is to develop a robust and safe combinatorial CRISPR-Cas regimen, striving for an inclusive 'HIV cure for all' that can inactivate diverse HIV strains across various cellular contexts. We have developed an efficient combinatorial CRISPR-attack on the HIV virus in various cells and the locations where it can be hidden in reservoirs, and demonstrated that therapeutics can be specifically delivered to the cells of interest. These findings represent a pivotal advancement towards designing a cure strategy."

This type of medical breakthrough must advance to be able to combat HIV variants and their cohesion to different types of cells and tissues in the human body.

The scientists further report that much work still needs to be done and that clinical trials are still a long way off. Still, this is a huge advancement that has never been done before - the total elimination of HIV from T cells.

The HIV industry has made major achievements over the last year, including the introduction of PrEP and PEP for HIV prevention. Science has also come a long way in HIV treatment, making living with HIV a reality, going from a series of pills to just a pill a day for most.