HIV virus eliminated with CRISPR and new ART

摘要

Replication-competent HIV-1 DNA-the virus responsible for AIDS-has been eliminated from the genomes of living animals for the first time.A US research team used CRISPR-Cas9 and a new therapy called long-acting slow-effective release antiretroviral therapy(LASER ART),a modified drug within nanocrystals that distributes to tissues where HIV is likely to be lying dormant.Researchers injected mice with human bone marrow in order for them to replicate the human immune system by producing human T cells susceptible to HTV infection.They found LASER ART could suppress HIV replication long enough for CRISPR-Cas9 to completely eliminate viral DNA in around one third of their HIV-infected mice.