May 03, 2017 11:52 AM EDT By Avery Robbins, UniversityHerald Reporter

The study on HIV is getting closer to finding the cure. A recent research reveals that gene editing method could eradicate the virus once and for all.

Gene-Editing Method to Cut HIV/Virus 

A study conducted by a team of scientists from Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh have found that the HIV-1 virus can be shut down using gene editing technology.

The team tested the method on living animals and learned that CRISPR/Cas9 is able to get rid off the HIV virus. The study is more comprehensive compared to the previous one as this time, scientists attached the infection on a mouse cells but the gene editing technology helped to completely cut the virus from the tissues, DailyMail reported.

The study was proven effective in mouse model but scientists still need to conduct human trials to find out if it works effectively the same. Scientists also performed another test - infecting another group of mice with EcoHIV. The result showed that this group is vulnerable to virus replication but it has helped researchers to analyze how gene editing could block the virus and prevent it from spreading or multiplied. The technique might still need further study but it does give hope for HIV/AIDS cure. Next, scientists will perform test on primates, which mimic human HIV infection, Philly reported.

The CRISPR/Cas9 Technology

It is worth noting that this is the first demonstration of shutting down HIV-1 replication using gene-editing method. The CRISPR/Cas9 is a promising technology that could also eliminate colon cancer according to a recent research. The latest human trial reportedly involved gene editing to fighting cancer. It is the first gene editing that targets cancer genes with a hope that one day it could wipe out the infected cells.

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