HIGH tech gene editing can cut HIV out of cells’ DNA and may one day cure the virus, scientists hope.
Experts from Amsterdam University Medical Center say they successfully wiped out HIV from infected cells in lab experiments.
They used a process called Crispr, which uses certain enzymes to snip off strands of DNA like a tiny pair of scissors.
HIV’s ability to embed itself into a patient’s genes and hide in secret “reservoirs” is the top reason it cannot be cured.
Study author Dr Elena Herrera-Carrillo says this technology may allow the virus to be tracked down and chopped out.
EastEnders hunk to get HIV 20 years after Mark Fowler's death
She said: “It is premature to declare that there is a cure on the horizon but these preliminary findings are very encouraging.
“Our next steps involve optimising the delivery route to target the HIV reservoir cells.
“We hope to achieve the right balance between effectiveness and safety.
“Only then can we consider clinical trials of ‘cure’ in humans to disable the HIV reservoir.”
Many scientists are working in this area but it is extremely challenging
Dr Jonathan Stoye
The technology used by Dr Herrera-Carrillo is currently too large and would cause too much cell damage to use on a living patient.
Around 100,000 people in the UK have HIV, out of 39million worldwide.
Thanks to modern medicine, more than 95 per cent of Brits carrying the virus have such low levels that it cannot be detected in the blood or passed on.
But they require long-term medication and the illness can still be deadly to people who do not know they have it, as well as those in poorer countries without good healthcare.
Just half a dozen people in history are believed to have been cured of HIV with experimental treatments.
EastEnders fans in tears as major character receives life-changing news
Scientists hope Crispr gene editing will one day also be able to tackle genetic diseases, cancers, deafness and dementia.
Dr Jonathan Stoye, from the Francis Crick Institute, was not part of the study but said: “The idea of a cure for Aids using Crispr-Cas9 technology to purge the body of HIV has enormous appeal.
“Many groups are working in this area but it is extremely challenging and possible long-term side effects remain a concern.”
Dr Herrera-Carrillo will present her research at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
