Researchers Fully Delete HIV From Human Cells for the 1st Time

This sounds a bit promising........Researchers at Temple University say that they have successfully "deleted" HIV from human cells in a lab. They also say that there are many more hurdles to clear before they can do human trials but this sounds promising, nonetheless. Personally, I've always held the belief that HIV/ AIDS is man made but that's another thread.

But researchers from Temple University may have figured out a way to permanently excise it using a highly-engineered HIV "editor." Here's how it works: the team analyzed a part of our immune system that fights infection and built a "guide RNA" strand consisting of 20 nucleotides (RNA building blocks). Those strands were then injected into cells typically infected with HIV, like T-cells. There, they targeted the end parts of the virus's gene and snipped out all 9,709 nucleotides that made up its genome. Since the guide RNA strand contained no human DNA sequences, it left the host cell intact -- but free from HIV.

What does ATS think about this news? It may be more "Carrot -dangling" by TPTB but I'll take this as good news anyway. I think this is in the right forum, if not, you Mods know what to do.

originally posted by: lostbook
This sounds a bit promising........Researchers at Temple University say that they have successfully "deleted" HIV from human cells in a lab. They also say that there are many more hurdles to clear before they can do human trials but this sounds promising, nonetheless. Personally, I've always held the belief that HIV/ AIDS is man made but that's another thread.

But researchers from Temple University may have figured out a way to permanently excise it using a highly-engineered HIV "editor." Here's how it works: the team analyzed a part of our immune system that fights infection and built a "guide RNA" strand consisting of 20 nucleotides (RNA building blocks). Those strands were then injected into cells typically infected with HIV, like T-cells. There, they targeted the end parts of the virus's gene and snipped out all 9,709 nucleotides that made up its genome. Since the guide RNA strand contained no human DNA sequences, it left the host cell intact -- but free from HIV.

What does ATS think about this news? It may be more "Carrot -dangling" by TPTB but I'll take this as good news anyway. I think this is in the right forum, if not, you Mods know what to do.

I would be worried about what the HIV virus is replacing in the first place. This make it sound like it replaces some kind of genetic indexing/lookup table with the HIV code, which researchers remove altogether.

a reply to: stormcell

Please explain, to a non-scientist. Are you saying that they insert the genetic indexing/lookup table which the HIV adheres to as if it belongs to a human host, but then doctors are able to remove it without harm to the human host?

a reply to: lostbook
Can you please add a link I would like to see if there is more info.

Thanks.

originally posted by: thesaneone
a reply to: lostbook
Can you please add a link I would like to see if there is more info.

Thanks.

Here ya go.

www.engadget.com...

a reply to: lostbook

It seems they can only kill it one cell at a time right now, the hard part is figuring out away to kill them all at the same time.

Progress is progress.