艾滋病,基因编辑技术 z-bio 2022-01-14 566

　　According to US media reports, after so many years of the emergence of AIDS, scientists seem to be about to cure the disease and remove the disease-causing virus from the infected human body. The method of treatment is to clip the virus's DNA from the infected cells.

　　Antiretroviral drugs can effectively inhibit HIV and prevent its replication. In this way, HIV can maintain almost undetectable levels in humans infected with AIDS. But the memory of the virus has not disappeared from the body's immune system cells (that is, T cells). Once you stop taking antiretroviral drugs, these viral remnants will come back to life and begin to produce AIDS.

　　Now, researchers seem to have found a way to completely eradicate these virus remnants from cells so that they can no longer replicate. Scientists have invented a gene editing technology called CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the viral DNA, which can effectively cure AIDS.

　　Kamel Khalili is the head of the Department of Neuroscience at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He took the lead in carrying out this research. He said: "The excision method we have developed can inactivate a large number of virus-carrying cells. In the laboratory, virus replication is reduced by 90% in infected cells." Caliri and his colleagues have not yet Cure any AIDS patient, but in the laboratory, they remove HIV from infected human T cells.

　　"Scientific Reports" (Scientific Reports) magazine published this research report. Caliri believes that gene editing technology has the potential to cure AIDS. He said: "This is an exciting time because we have the technology and methods, and our knowledge is constantly increasing. I hope that there will be funds for us to continue our research until the disease is cured." Kaliri expects to wait until two After three years, the scientific researchers have perfected the treatment plan, and clinical trials may be carried out.