Researchers cure HIV in animals

Research published in Molecular Therapy has revealed a a promising cure for HIV and AIDS, showing the scientists who were able to remove the immune disease from infected mice.

The researchers, from Temple University and Pittsburgh University, said they had demonstrated the ‘feasibility and efficiency’ of removing the HIV-1 provirus using a gene-editing technique called CRISPR, building on previous research.

As a retrovirus, HIV has proven resistant to cures because it introduces replicating copies of itself into the genomes of its host cells. Current antiretroviral drugs can contain the virus and prevent the onset of AIDS, but how to permanently eradicate the infection is still an elusive goal for medical researchers.

Dr Wenhui Hu, of Temple University, said: “We confirmed the data from our previous work and have improved the efficiency of our gene editing strategy. We also show that the strategy is effective in two additional mouse models, one representing acute infection in mouse cells and the other representing chronic, or latent, infection in human cells."

Dr. Kamel Khalili, a lead researcher, commented: “The next stage would be to repeat the study in primates, a more suitable animal model where HIV infection induces disease, in order to further demonstrate elimination of HIV-1 DNA in latently infected T cells and other sanctuary sites for HIV-1, including brain cells. Our eventual goal is a clinical trial in human patients."