Researchers find way to "Delete" HIV Virus from human cells

Kittamaru · Mar 25, 2015

http://guff.com/glt-scientists-delete-hiv/20?ts_pid=2

Scientists used a DNA-snipping enzyme called Cas9 to cut out the 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.
Process could also be a cure for other latent infections, researchers say.

Once HIV conquers a human cell, it will stay there forever. It inserts its deadly genome permanently into its victims' DNA, forcing them to require medical treatment for the rest of their life. But now, for the first time, researchers in Philadelphia have found a way to completely delete HIV from human cells by ‘snipping’ them out.

The team of Temple University School of Medicine said the breakthrough marks the first successful attempt to eliminate latent HIV-1 virus from human cells – and could be a cure for other latent infections.

‘This is one important step on the path toward a permanent cure for AIDS,' said Kamel Khalili, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Temple.

'It's an exciting discovery, but it's not yet ready to go into the clinic. It's a proof of concept that we're moving in the right direction,' he added.

In a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr Khalili and colleagues detail how they created molecular tools to delete the HIV-1 proviral DNA.

When deployed, a combination of a DNA-snipping enzyme called a nuclease and a targeting strand of RNA called a guide RNA (gRNA) hunt down the viral genome and remove the HIV-1 DNA. From there, the cell's gene repair machinery takes over, soldering the loose ends of the genome back together – resulting in virus-free cells.

'Since HIV-1 is never cleared by the immune system, removal of the virus is required in order to cure the disease,' explained Dr Khalili.

These molecular tools also hold promise as a therapeutic vaccine; cells armed with the nuclease-RNA combination proved impervious to HIV infection. Worldwide, more than 33 million people have HIV, including more than 1 million in the United States. Every year, another 50,000 Americans contract the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the UK, around 100,000 people were living with HIV in the UK in 2013. That’s around one person in 665. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (Haart) has controlled HIV-1 for infected people in the developed world over the last 15 years, the virus can rage again with any interruption in treatment.

Click to expand...

This... is pretty damn cool! If they can actually remove the "damaged code" and allow the body to repair the damage itself... well, what's not to love!

Curious to know if/what side effects or unintended effects this code-removal could have...

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OnlyMe · Mar 25, 2015

Kittamaru said: ↑

http://guff.com/glt-scientists-delete-hiv/20?ts_pid=2

This... is pretty damn cool! If they can actually remove the "damaged code" and allow the body to repair the damage itself... well, what's not to love!

Curious to know if/what side effects or unintended effects this code-removal could have...
Click to expand...

I've seen something on this a short while back. I think it was a The Scientist email update? I believe they even referenced its use for possible removal of some gene based diseases/disorders, in addition to the obvious retrovirus targets. But there will be a long process involved in bringing it to a clinical stage. A great deal of work will have to be put into proving that it targets only the specific sequence intended. Even a small error could have dramatic consequences.

But yes this is a very nice work.

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Kittamaru · Mar 25, 2015

OnlyMe said: ↑

I've seen something on this a short while back. I think it was a The Science email update? I believe they even referenced its use for possible removal of some gene based diseases/disorders, in addition to the obvious retrovirus targets. But there will be a long process involved in bringing it to a clinical stage. A great deal of work will have to be put into proving that it targets only the specific sequence intended. Even a small error could have dramatic consequences.

But yes this is a very nice work.
Click to expand...

Indeed... I mean, imagine if, by accident, it somehow changed/shifted the origin point for the Initiation phase of DNA Replication... or if it deactivated the DNA Helicase enzymes...

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Researchers find way to "Delete" HIV Virus from human cells

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Researchers find way to "Delete" HIV Virus from human cells

Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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OnlyMe Valued Senior Member

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Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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