Researchers remove HIV from mice using gene editing technology according to : LGBTQ Nation

Philly.com reports that the recent success is the latest development in years of research into gene editing technology. Researchers at Temple University announced this week that they were successfully able to remove HIV from two mice by snipping the infection's code from their DNA. The next step for researchers is testing the technology in monkeys, whose HIV infections more closely resembles that of humans. The work, done in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh, is inspiring new hope for a cure for HIV. While previous efforts were successful in editing the infection's DNA in lab dishes, this is the first time the code has been edited in a mouse.




Researchers showed they were able to eliminate HIV from infected cells in animals using the powerful gene-editing tool, CRISPR/Cas9. The HIV virus is adept at evading our best efforts to flush it from the human body, hence the lack of a cure, but a new study suggests that this feat may one day be possible.

HIV breakthrough: Scientists remove virus in animals using gene editing

Using a gene editing technology called "CRISPR/Cas9," the researchers successfully excised the HIV-1 provirus in three animal models. "We confirmed the data from our previous work and have improved the efficiency of our gene editing strategy. After a single round of gene editing, the viral segments were excised from the human cells that had been integrated into the mouse tissues and organs. Dr. Khalili explains the procedure:"During acute infection, HIV actively replicates. The team also provided the first evidence that HIV-1 can be successfully eradicated and full infection with the virus can be prevented using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing strategy.


collected by :Lucy William
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