In a recent study published by scientists at the Temple University and the University of Nebraska Medical Centers, it looks like there might finally be a cure for HIV, a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection. By eliminating genes mutated by the disease, scientists were able to eliminate HIV entirely from mice and declare the study a critical step towards finding the cure.
According to HIV.gov, "HIV causes a person to become more vulnerable to other infections and diseases and is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex, or through sharing injection drug equipment. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS".
There are medications known as ART (antiretroviral therapies) that have helped people with HIV live long and healthy lives and can also prevent the spread of HIV to sexual partners. This medication has played a key role in leading scientists to the potential cure. Combining ART with technology designed by the Temple University team that quite literally edits and deletes bad parts of the gene to eliminate the disease from the patient's body. This technology is known as CRISPR-Cas9.
However, these two technologies have not been able to independently cure HIV, which is where collaboration between the two medical centers became imperative. While ART has been affective in the overall maintenance of the disease, in order to create a cure, they had to develop a new version called long-acting slow-effective release (LASER) ART created by the University of Nebraska team. This revolutionary idea takes the function of ART and prolongs its existence within the gene structure, enabling the patient to suppress HIV long enough for the CRISPR-Cas9 technology to eliminate the cells.
Back in December 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui first debuted a revelation that he successfully altered the DNA of twin girls using CRISPR technology to create a resistance to HIV. While the study remains inconclusive on its success, many see this as the first step in a long line of discoveries helping to find a cure for HIV.
The leaders of the current study with the Temple University and the University of Nebraska Medical Centers are thrilled with the outcome of their scientific advancement.
“The next stage would be to repeat the study in primates, a more suitable animal model where HIV infection induces disease..., including brain cells,” Dr. Khalili with the Temple University Medical Center said. “Our eventual goal is a clinical trial in human patients.”
According to a 2018 CDC report, approximately 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV today, and 15 percent (1 in 7) of them are unaware they are infected. If you are wondering if you have HIV, the only way you will know is if you get tested. You can ask your health provider or any other medical facility for a test, or you can purchase an at home test at a pharmacy or online.
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