Throughout H&V, we have touched on the prospect of gene editing serving as a potential therapeutic for viral disease. From DNA viruses, like herpesviruses, that remain latent in the host to viruses, like retroviruses, that integrate into the host genome, gene editing represents a powerful intervention in stopping these infections. The Associated Press reports in this article that there may be a way to utilize this method to treat HIV infection and stop its progression to AIDS. In the case of Matt Chappell, there were few medications that could keep his HIV infection in check, but the procedures of completely replacing his immune system with a HIV-resistant donor’s were far too risky. Thus, researchers took some of his white blood cells and edited them to be resistant to HIV infection. After growing them up and ensuring the proper genes had been edited, they injected Chappell with them months later. This led to a vast improvement in his health, and after subsequent treatment, he was able to stop taking his anti-retroviral drugs.
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However, this may not be the panacea needed to fully eliminate HIV from the body. Chappell’s immune system was still dominated by cells that were susceptible to infection, meaning that his health could potentially decline in the future should the edited cells become too outnumbered. To enhance this treatment, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania are not only editing T-cells to make them impervious to HIV entry, they are also supplementing them with antigen-recognition capabilities against the virus. James Riley, the project lead, is optimistic that this therapy provides personalized treatment of the disease with the patient’s own immune cells. Furthermore, the increase in quality of life without the side-effects of ART is marked, leading Riley to remark that “you’d never know they were sick… at some point you’re going to have confidence that it’s not going to come back”
-Andrew
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