HIV cells successfully edited out of immune cells.

I searched and did not see this posted. I'm posting this from my phone too.

"Researchers from Temple University have used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool to clear out the entire HIV-1 genome from a patient’s infected immune cells. It’s a remarkable achievement that could have profound implications for the treatment of AIDS and other retroviruses.

When we think about CRISPR/Cas9 we tend to think of it as a tool to eliminate heritable genetic diseases, or as a way to introduce new genes altogether. But as this new research shows, it also holds great promise as a means to eliminate viruses that have planted their nefarious genetic codes within host cells. This latest achievement now appears in Nature Scientific Reports.

Retroviruses, unlike regular run-of-the-mill viruses, insert copies of their genomes into host cells in order to replicate. Antiretroviral drugs have proven effective at controlling HIV after infection, but patients who stop taking these drugs suffer a quick relapse. Once treatment stops, the HIV reasserts itself, weakening the immune system, thus triggering the onset of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS.

Over the years, scientists have struggled to remove HIV from infected CD4+ T-cells, a type of white blood cell that fights infection. Many of these “shock and kill” efforts have been unsuccessful. The recent introduction of CRISPR/Cas9 has now inspired a new approach. Geneticist Kamel Khalili and colleagues from Temple University extracted infected T-cells from a patient. The team’s modified version of CRISPR/Cas9—which specifically targets HIV-1 DNA—did the rest. First, guide RNA methodically made its way across the entire T-cell genome searching for signs of the viral components. Once it recognized a match, a nuclease enzyme ripped out out the offending strands from the T-cell DNA. Then the cell’s built-in DNA repair machinery patched up the loose ends.

Not only did this remove the viral DNA, it did so permanently. What’s more, because this microscopic genetic system remained within the cell, it staved off further infections when particles of HIV-1 tried to sneak their way back in from unedited cells."

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This is amazing news to me. Definitely not my area of expertise and I hope to hear from others that know more than I do. It's sounds like this could be a treatment that is a permanent cure. I watched a documentary on Crispr and it is an amazing breakthrough in the medical field. This sounds like Nobel material to me. I live in an area that has a large gay population and I have a lot of male gay friends. I've also known a few people that have died because they were infected. It's a very sad way for people to die. Hopefully this is not just something we read about and never have it come to market.

that is amazing. totally reversing the after effects of viruses and infection.

a reply to: RammerJammer

Good find!!!

a reply to: RammerJammer This looks to be amazing news! Very good find. Thank you for posting this. It definitely gives hope for future. I'm so glad people are focusing their time and money on a cure for this.

a reply to: RammerJammer

So amazing. Maybe we can use this technology to eliminate the code that's been planted by gmo engineers of our food.

Wonder how long before this is pushed under the rug.