The method of editing CRISPR genes in a laboratory experiment turned off HIV, which was dormant in immune cells, giving hope for a possible cure. This was reported by UNN , citing the popular science magazine New Scientist.
A team from the UMC Medical Center in Amsterdam has used gene-editing technology to eliminate traces of the HIV virus from cells in the laboratory. According to new information about the results of the study, it is indicated that Crispr gene editing technology works like scissors, and thus eradicates HIV from the body. Its effectiveness in humans has not yet been proven, but scientists hope that eventually they will "be able to completely eradicate the virus from the body." This method is already applying for the status of a medicine.
Details
The strategy utilizes a relatively new genetic technology called CRISPR, which allows for cuts in DNA to introduce errors into viral genetic material in immune cells.
When a person is first infected, part of the virus embeds its DNA in the immune cells, where it stays dormant. If a person stops taking their HIV medication, this DNA "wakes up" and the virus starts spreading again through the immune system.
To be cured, we need a way to kill any dormant virus in the body. Several strategies have been tried, but so far none of them have proven effective.
The new approach uses a gene-editing system called CRISPR.
Originally discovered in bacteria, it targets a specific DNA sequence by making cuts in it. By altering the target DNA sequence, the system has the potential to become a form of gene therapy for many diseases, and the first such treatment was approved last year in the United States and the United Kingdom as a treatment for sickle cell disease.
Several groups have been exploring the use of CRISPR, which targets the HIV gene, as a way to disable the dormant virus. Now, Carrillo and her team have shown that when tested on immune cells in a dish, their CRISPR system can deactivate the entire virus, eliminating it from those cells.
The paper will be presented at the European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Spain, next month.
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