The main objective of gene editing therapy in finding a cure for HIV/AIDS is to contribute a set of new immune cells that will resist HIV infection and reconstitute the immune system.
The use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has partially succeeded in controlling virus infection in most infected individuals. ART enhances health and elongates the lives of individuals infected with HIV.
In addition, it also lowers the transmission rates of the virus from one individual to another. However, this treatment regimen is linked with several comorbidities, has very little impact on the complete elimination of the HIV reservoir, and needs patients to comply with a lifelong drug routine.
Even though HIV-infected individuals using ART will have very small concentrations of the virus in their plasma, the latently infected CD4+ T cells still exist.
The use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) prevents the multiplication of the HIV virus but cannot completely cure it.
The virus tends to rebound when the therapy is stopped because of the viral reservoir which persists in the body. This viral reservoir is a major barrier to finding a cure for HIV infection.
However, a small number of people are resistant to HIV due to a natural mutation in their CCR5 gene.
This mutation, referred to as the CCR5-delta32, inhibits the HIV virus from accessing body cells and causing infection.
Most strategies today focus specifically on the virus, for example,
- Using CRISPR technology which aims at the integrated HIV genome.
- Gene editing therapy is an exciting technology that opens up a wide range of pathways that scientists can explore. Scientists can identify novel genes that are needed for the virus to reproduce and determine the genetic mutations that make some people resistant to HIV infection.
Gene editing therapy can help in eradicating HIV DNA from infected patients.
However, it is highly potent and flexible and can be used with ARV therapy to promote further suppression of the viral RNA.
It can also be modified to target any mutated strains of the HIV virus.
Research carried out by Dr. Khalili from Temple University has established that a gene editing system that is based on CRISPR technology can eliminate the HIV Virus from human-infected cells in vitro, without affecting the host cells.
Additionally, ev vivo experiments confirm that viral replication is significantly lowered after treatment with gene editing therapies.
Results from this study showed that portions of targeted HIV DNA were cut out from the HIV genome in all tissues.
This includes cells in the heart, brain, spleen, kidney, lungs, liver and plasma. There was also a significant reduction in the concentration of HIV RNA in the lymphocytes and lymph nodes.
The ability of this r AAV delivery system to access many organs that contain the HIV genome and edit the viral DNA is a crucial indication that this therapy can overcome the reactivation of the HIV virus from the latently infected cells.
In addition, it can serve as a potentially curative approach for HIV-infected patients.
Gene editing technology has opened up countless possibilities for many researchers globally.
Apart from HIV/AIDS, this technology can be used to find treatment for other infections like autoimmune diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases.
This therapy can potentially help indirectly study various phenomena in human cells and will give scientists a better approach to curing different ailments affecting human beings.
Author Bio
Andrew Thompson is a scientific researcher who has been working on various research projects for HIV cure. Andrew has more than 30 years of research experience. For more information on HIV gene editing therapies, check out his website here.
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HELLO, I’M Anna Ramos by name, I WANT TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE OF HOW I GOT CURED of HIV BY HERBAL MEDICINE. It may sound strange! For the past 5years, i have spent a lot of money in buying anti-retroviral medicines to strengthen my immune system and keep me healthy, until I read an article on the internet about an Africa Herbalist who uses herbs and roots to cure HIV and all kind of diseases. Though I never believed he can cure HIV, i decided to give it a try because I was desperate. Then I sent a message to him in his email. He prepared herbal medications and send it to me through DHL COURIER SERVICE and I took it as he instructed. 11days after, I went to the hospital to do a checkup, the result came out and I tested NEGATIVE. I’m sharing this with you because I believe there’s someone out here who also desire to have this cure. feel free to send a message to him on his email or call, AND ALSO CHAT WITH HIN THROUGH VIA IMO CHAT OR WHATSAPP, and am sure he will be willing to help you and you will also have a testimony to share. please inform other victims about this.
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I was diagnosed April 17, 2015, and find out I’m HIV positive.I was scared because there is no cure for HIV/AIDS but today some people still don’t believe that there is cure for HIV, it can only be cured through Africans root and herbs, and our doctor’s here in USA few of them know’s about the African herbal medicine can cure Hiv but they choose to hide it from us just to make a sales of ARV DRUGS. I did a research online finding a way to get rid of my disease, I saw a comment about a herbal doctor on internet Name Dr. Itua, who has cured several diseases with his powerful herbal medicine, I contacted him on whats-app, chat with him explain my self to him.He said he can cure HIV perfectly well, he gave me his request which I send to him. within 5 days he sent me the herbal medicine through ups courier delivering service And told me how to take the medicine for 3 weeks to get cured, I did for 3 weeks, within this 3 weeks I notice a very big change in my health and I knew something great has happened when I went to confirm my result it was absolutely negative.The doctor who knew I was HIV positive was asking me how come I am negative, what did it take to get a cure and where did I get this medicine from and how did I get rid of it I told him everything about the herbal medicine that cures me. imagine a doctor telling me not to let anyone know about it, I wasn’t shocked though I knew they know about the herbal cure but chose to hide it in other to make sales on ARV DRUGS.
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