Gene editing has helped control HIV in one man, suggesting to researchers that it might have a wider application, the Associated Press reports.
In 2014, scientists altered blood cells taken from patient Matt Chappell to make them resist HIV infection, and since then, he's been off medication, it adds. The AP notes, however, that most of the other patients treated this way have had to re-start taking HIV drugs. Still, it notes that scientists now are looking into tweaking the treatment to make it more effective.
For instance, the AP reports that John Zaia at City of Hope is targeting blood stem cells, while Case Western Reserve University's Rafick-Pierre Sekaly is combining gene editing with antivirals to eliminate dormant HIV and University of Pennsylvania's James Riley is combining it with CAR-T therapy to get T cells to better recognize and kill HIV.
"If we're going to cure HIV, this is how it's going to happen," Chappell tells the AP.