HIV, the proginetor leading to AIDS, has been one of the most difficult medical obstacles since the 1980s. However, researchers from Temple University, led by Dr. Kamel Khalili, may have finally come through with a breakthrough and it is now suggested that a cure for HIV and AIDS may be a reality in the near future, reports Science Daily.
According to the report, a specialized gene editing system referred to as CRISPR has been able to be thoroughly guided to eliminate the latent HIV-1 from an infected human T cell genome without damaging the cell itself. When the virus was re-introduced, the cell was now immune and no longer re-infected.
It is important to note that the cells were not in an actual human body but were selectively being studied in a petri dish. The experiments have been going on for roughly five years bu they have yet to be tested on a human patient. According to the report, the system is still not enough to properly eradicate HIV from a human body.
It is further explained that the CRISPR system specifically locates the T cell genome in the subject's DNA and cuts off the genome responsible. Once the strand has been cut off, the DNA's own restoration capabilities will repair the genome's loose ends.
The experiment initially proved that the process can cut off HIV-1 from infected cell lines. Further development has proven that the process will also prevent re-infection, although this has only been done specifically on the T-cell genome and nothing else at this point.
Even more impressive is that the virus in T cells from actual HIV patients, which have been replicated in the lab, have been successfully eradicated using this method, suggesting that the process may be developed even further until a cure is within reach.
"The findings are important on multiple levels," explained Dr. Khalili. "They demonstrate the effectiveness of our gene editing system in eliminating HIV from the DNA of CD4 T cells and, by introducing mutations into the viral genome, permanently inactivating its replication. Further, they show that the system can protect cells from reinfection and that the technology is safe for the cells, with no toxic effects."
