Using a specialised gene editing system, scientists have shown that they can eliminate HIV from the DNA of human cells, paving the way for a cure for AIDS patients. "Antiretroviral drugs are very good at controlling HIV infection. But patients on antiretroviral therapy who stop taking the drugs suffer a rapid rebound in HIV replication," said the professor at a School of Medicine of an University in US. The presence of numerous copies of HIV weakens the immune system and eventually causes AIDS.
Eliminating the HIV virus after it has become integrated into CD4+ T-cells, the cells primarily infected with the virus, has proven difficult. Recent attempts have focused on intentionally reactivating HIV, aiming to stimulate a robust immune response capable of eradicating the virus. However, none of these "shock and kill" approaches has been successful. Researchers targeted HIV-1 proviral DNA…
