Scientists used a DNA-snipping enzyme called Cas9 to cut out the HIV virus. The cell's gene repair machinery then takes over, soldering the loose ends of the genome back together – resulting in a virus-free cell. This Process could also be a cure for other latent infections. It's an exciting discovery, but not ready to go into the clinic.
Like other retroviruses, the genetic material of HIV wedges itself into the genome of its human host. While antiretroviral therapies are effective at repressing HIV, they don’t eliminate the integrated virus, which can lie low in a latent state and reactivate if the treatment is stopped. In a study published today (July 21) in PNAS, researchers take advantage of the snipping precision of a genome-editing technique to cut HIV out of the human genome. “They looked at it in several different systems,” said Daniel Stone, a staff scientist at the Fred…
