Single-Shot Gene Therapy Suppresses AIDS Virus in 6 Monkeys for Over 1 Year
Updated
Updated · European AIDS Treatment Group · May 6
Single-Shot Gene Therapy Suppresses AIDS Virus in 6 Monkeys for Over 1 Year
12 articles · Updated · European AIDS Treatment Group · May 6
Six SHIV-infected monkeys kept the virus under control for more than 1 year after a single gene-therapy injection, suggesting a functional cure in at least some animals.
The treatment delivered a gene that makes an antibody blocking CCR5, a cell-surface receptor HIV uses to enter cells and establish infection.
Researchers said the result could revive a gene-therapy strategy that has struggled to gain traction in HIV research.
The study was conducted in monkeys using SHIV—a hybrid of HIV and the simian virus SIV—so its implications for treating people with HIV remain to be tested.
This gene therapy cured some monkeys, but not all. What is the biggest hurdle for a one-shot human cure?
CRISPR, CAR-T, antibodies: Which gene therapy will be the first to deliver a functional HIV cure for humans?
A one-time cure could upend the HIV drug market. Can it ever become an affordable, accessible reality for patients?