Scientists cure HIV in live animals for the first time ever in groundbreaking research
By Joshua Haigh
The world has come one step closer to a cure for HIV.
Researchers at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have completely eliminated the virus from the tissue of mice, which had been transplanted with human cells that were infected with HIV.
The virus attacks and kills immune cells and leaves those with the disease open to other infections, but the new research has proven that it’s possible to actually ‘cut away’ the virus from cells in the body.
“The next stage would be to repeat the study in primates, a more suitable animal model where HIV infection induces disease, in order to further demonstrate the elimination of HIV-1 DNA in latently infected T cells and other sanctuary sites for HIV-1, including brain cells,” said co-senior study investigator Kamel Khalili, according to Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
“Our eventual goal is a clinical trial in human patients,” he added.
The team behind the groundbreaking research are hoping to move to human trials by as soon as 2020.
Currently, there are more than 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK, and around 600 of those die every year.
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