HIV-like virus edited out of prmate genome

[Cosmicdancer]

This clinical research using CRISPR gene editing technology is encouraging, even though it is probably years away from human clinical trials....

HIV-like virus edited out of primate genome
Coming closer to a cure for human HIV infection

Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have successfully edited SIV -- a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS -- from the genomes of non-human primates. The breakthrough brings Temple researchers and their collaborators closer than ever to developing a cure for human HIV infection.

"We show for the first time that a single inoculation of our CRISPR gene-editing construct, carried by an adeno-associated virus, can edit out the SIV genome from infected cells in rhesus macaque monkeys," said Kamel Khalili, PhD, Laura H. Carnell Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Director of the Center for Neurovirology, and Director of the Comprehensive NeuroAIDS Center at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM)....

... Of particular significance, the new work shows that the gene-editing construct developed by Dr. Khalili's team can reach infected cells and tissues known to be viral reservoirs for SIV and HIV. These reservoirs, which are cells and tissues where the viruses integrate into host DNA and hide away for years, are a major barrier to curing infection. SIV or HIV in these reservoirs lies beyond the reach of ART, which suppresses viral replication and clears the virus from the blood. As soon as ART is stopped, the viruses emerge from their reservoirs and renew replication.

In non-human primates, SIV behaves very much like HIV. "The SIV-infected rhesus macaque model studied in Dr. Burdo's lab is an ideal large animal model for recapitulating HIV infection in humans," explained Dr. Khalili.

Read the full article at the link below.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201130131402.htm

[Mindless]

This seems an interesting approach. There's an article about it also on poz website: https://www.poz.com/article/crispr-snips-simian-hiv-monkeys-cells-even-viral-reservoir

I wonder how similar is SIV in monkeys to HIV in humans and if the results actually bring any hope for human trials. If they'll ever get there.

[Almost2late]

Sounds wonderful but I'm pretty
sure they'll be dragging out this research for decades.

I recently learned how CRISPR has cured a woman of sickle cell disease here in the US.. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/15/944184405/1st-patients-to-get-crispr-gene-editing-treatment-continue-to-thrive

I believe this gene editing is the holy grail cure for HIV and possibly every disease. But the greed of the pharmaceutical industry may keep hiv+ ppl from it for a long time to come.

[Jim Allen]

A few years ago it was the same Dr. Khalili studies at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University that sparked a hype as CRISPR-Cas9 approach was shown to work on HIV in labs on human cells and live animals (rodents). Lot was learned but the hype was just that.

Good that progress is made and this is continued to be investigated as a possible tool in advancing HIV treatment & understanding, not going to hold my breath though on the cure aspect.

2016
https://www.poz.com/article/researchers-use-crispr-edit-hiv-dna-live-animal-cells
https://www.poz.com/article/researchers-edit-hiv-infected-cells
https://www.poz.com/article/maybe-crispr-gene-editing-easy-way-attack-hiv (HIV developing possible resistance to CRISPR)