Scientists Hope to Use Gene Therapy to Treat HIV

Scientists have learned there may be a way to prevent the spread of HIV by using genetic therapy. The process has been tested on mice and will hopefully soon be available for humans. The research may prove to be the first way to prevent or suppress HIV without the use of retroviral medications.

The innovative procedure was tested by associate professor molecular biology at the University of Southern California, Paula Cannon. Cannon and her team used human stem cells injected into two different groups of mice. Researchers removed a certain gene known as CCR5 from the human stem cells. This gene is believed to aid HIV in its attack on human cells, thus infecting a human host.  Scientists discovered this HIV aiding gene in studies completed nearly a decade ago.

Using this information, Cannon and her team tested that theory. The mice that were injected with the altered stem cells were able to fend of HIV. The mice had regained their normal T cell counts after being infected with HIV as well as maintaining their health without any additional medications. The mice that were infected with HIV and had normal human stem cells did not fare as well. The HIV weakened the immune systems, dropping the level of T cells.

If the process is deemed safe and effective, experts estimate the cost will be around 100,000 dollars a person. This number is steep, but may end up being cheaper than a lifetime of expensive medications. The study has been published in Nature Biotechnology.