CRISPR has been all the talk of the medical research field lately, and with good reason.
The cutting-edge gene-editing technique has to potential to fix everything from blindness to cancer, to heart disease. And now, there may be a chance it can cure HIV.
Pixabay
Chinese scientists have just published a report describing how they attempted to cure a 27-year-old man who is HIV-positive using gene-edited cells.
It's the first attempt to study something like this in a live human specimen. The scientists weren't successful however, and say they weren't able to eliminate the AIDS virus from his body. However, they and other researchers are still calling it incredibly promising, because it at least seems to indicate that precise DNA changes in adult humans are possible, without adverse side effects.
"It is a first step, it is promising," says research co-lead Hongkui Deng, a professor of cell biology at the Peking University. The case was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Other researchers agree with that sentiment. Carl June, a professor in immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania, said, "It's not a home run at this point, but getting to first base is really critical for this technology."
Representation of HIV particles in a human cell - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
If you remember, there was a similar attempt in China some time ago, where a rogue scientist gene-edited the embryos of twin girls in an attempt to immunize them to HIV. That was horrifying for a variety of other reasons, because it was illegal according to China's laws, and messed with the biologies of children unable to exercise their rights, moreover with no oversight. On top of that, it turns out he may have inadvertently drastically shortened their lifespan.
This new development then seems to have gone through all the right channels to ensure it's safe. The other thing to note about it is that, if the researchers are able to make headway and get the technology to work effectively, they could scrub AIDS from the face of the planet. It would also make it a lot easier to have HIV-positive adults that understand the risks? come in for treatment to eliminate the virus from their bodies, rather than expecting parents to bring their unborn children in for this sort of treatment.?
A couple of pharmaceutical companies in the US are working on a CRISPR-powered method to eliminate congenital blindness. Scientists in Australia meanwhile have used the technology to develop an antidote for the most venomous creature in the world. And researchers in China have also been attempting to use CRISPR to cure various forms of cancer in mice.
It's the start of a whole wave of breakthroughs likely thanks to this single piece of technology. And one day, we may be able to thank it for making the human race completely disease-free.