Study Gives Hope of Altering Genes to Repel H.I.V.
By Denise Grady,
The New York Times
| 03. 05. 2014
The idea of genetically altering people’s cells to make them resist the virus that causes AIDS may seem like a pipe dream, but a new report suggests it can be done.
The research involves the first use in humans of “gene editing,” a treatment that zeros in on a particular gene and disables it.
In 12 people infected with H.I.V., scientists used the technique to get rid of a protein on the patients’ immune cells that the virus must latch onto to invade the cells. Cells were removed from the patients, treated and then dripped back into their bloodstreams through an intravenous line.
In theory, if enough cells could be engineered to repel the virus, patients might no longer need antiviral drugs, and might in effect be cured.
The experiment was a pilot study, meant to test safety, not efficacy. It found that immune cells could be altered, and that doing so did not harm patients. The gene editing also seemed to help fight the infection in some cases, but the findings are preliminary and researchers cautioned that widespread use...
Related Articles
By Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga, The Scientist | 03.15.2024
Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.
Humans are never alone. Even in a room devoid of other people, they are always in the company of billions of microscopic beings...
By Gerry Smith, Bloomberg | 03.12.2024
When Celenise Mahmood first learned about two new gene therapies that could cure sickle cell disease, she felt a wave of relief.
Her 9-year-old son, Navid, has the inherited blood disorder. By age 5, he’d had over 30 life-saving blood...
By Carol Cardona and Michelle Kromm, Scientific American | 03.11.2024
By Nada Hassanein, New Jersey Monitor | 03.14.2024
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last year approved two breakthrough gene therapies for sickle cell disease patients. Now a new federal program seeks to make these life-changing treatments available to patients with low incomes — and it could...