Scientists discover potential HIV cure that eliminates disease from cells

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

HIV could be history, as scientists have discovered a potential cure that eliminates the disease from infected cells.

At present the condition can be treated and symptoms kept in check but not actually cured.

A new study has unveiled a future cure for HIV which uses molecular scissors to “cut out” HIV DNA from infected cells.

To cut out this virus, the team used CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology— a groundbreaking method that allows for precise alterations to the genomes of living organisms.

This revolutionary technique, which brought its inventors, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020, enables scientists to accurately target and modify specific segments of DNA.

One of the significant challenges in HIV treatment is the virus's ability to integrate its genome into the host's DNA, making it extremely difficult to eliminate.

The authors explain that the CRISPR-Cas genome editing tool provides a new means to target HIV DNA, which may be more effective than the antiviral drugs in circulation.

In this research, which is to be presented early ahead of this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, the authors used CRISPR-Cas and two guide RNAs against “conserved” HIV sequences.

This means that they focused on parts of the virus genome that stay the same across all known HIV strains and achieved a cure for HIV-infected T cells.

By focusing on these conserved sections, the approach aims to provide a broad-spectrum therapy capable of combating multiple HIV variants effectively.

Their experiments showed outstanding antiviral performance, managing to completely inactivate HIV with a single guide RNA and cut out the viral DNA with two guide RNAs.

Associate professor Elena Herrera Carrillo from the University of Amsterdam AMC said: “Our aim is to develop a robust and safe combinatorial CRISPR-Cas regimen, striving for an inclusive ‘HIV cure for all’ that can inactivate diverse HIV strains across various cellular contexts.

“We have developed an efficient combinatorial CRISPR-attack on the HIV virus in various cells and the locations where it can be hidden in reservoirs, and demonstrated that therapeutics can be specifically delivered to the cells of interest.

“These findings represent a pivotal advancement towards designing a cure strategy.”

The researchers note that HIV can infect different types of cells and tissues in the body, each with its own unique environment and characteristics, so they are searching for a way to target HIV in all of these situations.

The team adds that they have a long way to go before their cure will be available to patients, but that it is a promising start.

Dr. Carrillo concluded: “We hope to achieve the right balance between efficacy and safety of this CURE strategy. Only then can we consider clinical trials of ‘cure’ in humans to disable the HIV reservoir.

“While these preliminary findings are very encouraging, it is premature to declare that there is a functional HIV cure on the horizon.”