In a groundbreaking advance, scientists have succeeded in utilizing CRISPR, the gene-editing technology that earned a Nobel Prize, to excise the HIV virus from infected cells. This innovative approach symbolizes a significant stride toward the long-sought goal of developing a cure for HIV.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the pathogen responsible for AIDS, has proven to be a formidable adversary for the scientific community. Despite highly effective treatments, these currently available therapies can only control the virus, not cure it. The persistence of dormant HIV in cellular reservoirs has been a particularly challenging obstacle. However, recent work by researchers from the University of Amsterdam has opened new doors in this fight.
“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,” said project lead and University of Amsterdam researcher Elena Herrera Carrillo in a statement.
CRISPR, a system of genetic sequences originally derived from bacteriophages, works like molecular scissors that can be guided to cut DNA at specific locations. This allows for the removal or deactivation of unwanted genes. In this case, CRISPR-Cas has been used to excise HIV DNA from infected cells, a feat likened to removing the “bad” bits of DNA to eliminate the virus.
Despite these promising developments, experts urge caution and patience. “Much more work will be needed to demonstrate results in these cell assays can happen in an entire body for a future therapy,” noted James Dixon, associate professor of gene-therapy technologies at the University of Nottingham. The potential for off-target effects and unintended long-term side effects remains a concern for experts like Jonathan Stoye from the Francis Crick Institute.
The demonstration of the concept is instilling optimism in researchers. For example, Excision BioTherapeutics, a pharmaceutical company, introduced a novel method utilizing CRISPR to address HIV towards the end of the previous year, although its actual efficacy is still uncertain.
Although it remains premature to determine if the method has the potential to eradicate HIV, as stated by the BBC, and even more uncertain whether it is both safe and efficient in the long term, researchers maintain an optimistic outlook regarding the integration of gene therapy into the treatment process.
The journey from these initial successes in cell samples to a safe and effective therapeutic application in humans is expected to be long and complex. While there is still a great deal of work to be done, this scientific breakthrough offers a glimmer of hope in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Relevant articles:
– Breakthrough: Scientists remove AIDS-causing virus from infected cells | Thanks to Nobel-awarded genetic scissors the scientists cut out HIV from cells and gave hope for the future.
– Scientists Manage to Cut HIV Out of Individual Cells, Futurism, Wed, 20 Mar 2024 19:10:45 GMT
– Hopes of HIV cure after breakthrough using gene-editing ‘scissors’, Sky News, Wed, 20 Mar 2024 04:05:53 GMT
– HIV removed from cells, researchers find, KNEWS – The English Edition of Kathimerini Cyprus, Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:38:00 GMT