HIV virus eliminated with CRISPR and new antiretroviral therapy

Replication-competent HIV-1 DNA – the virus responsible for AIDS – has been eliminated from the genomes of living animals for the first time. A US research team used CRISPR-Cas9 and a new therapy called long-acting slow-effective release antiretroviral therapy (LASER ART), a modified drug within nanocrystals that distributes to tissues where HIV is likely to be lying dormant. Researchers injected mice with human bone marrow in order for them to replicate the human immune system by producing human T cells susceptible to HIV infection. They found LASER ART could suppress HIV replication long enough for CRISPR-Cas9 to completely eliminate viral DNA in around one third of their HIV-infected mice. According to lead researcher, Professor Kamel Khalili at Temple University, Pennsylvania, the work marks a critical step towards cures for HIV-infected humans. Professor Khalili said: “The big message of this work is that it takes both CRISPR-Cas9 and virus suppression through a method such as...