Successfully "erased" HIV virus from human cells?

Scientists have successfully erased the HIV virus from human cells for the first time by chopping it up with an enzyme called Cas9.

After entering human cells, the HIV virus will exist permanently and "insert" the deadly gene into the victim's DNA, forcing them to undergo lifelong treatment to protect their lives. According to Dailymail, recently a group of researchers from Temple School of Medicine (Philadelphia, USA) have found a way to completely remove the HIV virus from human cells by cutting them into small pieces. This process can also treat other latent infections.

Successfully eradicated HIV virus from human cells?

For the first time, scientists in Philadelphia (USA) have found a way to completely destroy the HIV virus from human cells. Professor Kamel Khalili said: "This is an important step on the path to a long-term cure for AIDS. This research is an exciting discovery, but it is not yet ready for practical treatment." Dr. Khalili and colleagues deployed a DNA-cutting enzyme called Cas9 and a strand of guide RNA (gRNA) to "hunt down" the HIV virus genome and destroy it. Then, the cell's gene repair machinery will weld the loose ends together. As a result, the cell will no longer have HIV virus. "HIV-1 cannot be completely destroyed by the immune system, so removing the virus is necessary for a cure," Dr. Khalili explained.

Successfully eradicated HIV virus from human cells?

The success is seen as an important step towards a long-term treatment for the disease of the century. There are currently more than 33 million people infected with HIV in the world, including more than a million in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50,000 Americans are infected with the virus each year, and in the United Kingdom, the number was 100,000 in 2013. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has controlled HIV-1 in infected people in developed countries for more than 15 years, it can still flare up if treatment is interrupted. According to Dr. Khalili, the drugs used to control low levels of HIV can cause patients to develop other diseases associated with aging. For example, heart disease, bone disease, kidney disease and neurocognitive disorders. "We are working on several strategies that we can build into preclinical studies," the researcher said. "We want to eliminate the only copy of HIV-1 from the patient. I think this technology will help us cure AIDS."

According to Zing