A groundbreaking new study reports that researchers were able to use gene therapy to eradicate HIV in mice. Now the team is considering how to turn that into a life-saving cure for humans.
"We actually have the tools now to go into the genome of a live animal — and inevitably into a person — and clip out, or excise out, the infectious HIV, in a means, or a pathway, towards a cure," said Howard Gendelman, a professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, during an interview with Cheddar on Friday.
The treatment, which was discovered by teams at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Temple University, works by "dampening down" the HIV virus through an antiretroviral therapy called LASER ART, and then using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 — essentially a genetic "scissor" — to remove genes impacted by the virus.
The method led to a "total elimination" of the virus in nine of 23 animals, Gendelman said. It is the first time the virus has been completely eradicated from an animal, according to a UNMC press release.
But Gendelman cautions that applying the technique to humans requires both improving the technology for locating DNA impacted by the virus, and ensuring that the treatment doesn't damage other vital portions of the human genome.
"Every single HIV DNA that's integrated into the genome of a live host has to be excised. So we must develop even better technologies than we've developed in mice to discover where that latent virus is," explained Gendelman. "That's a major part of the research efforts ongoing now."
"We're manipulating the human genome. We're treating an HIV infection as if it was a genetic disorder. We're going into the genome and changing the structure, essentially using the HIV as a bad gene and cutting it out," he added. "So if we do that, we have to understand that there's a possibility that other genes can be affected."
More than 70 million people are reported to have been infected with HIV, according to the World Health Organization. The U.N. agency estimated that in 2017, more than 35 million people were living with the virus.
Walker Ross, Assistant Professor of Sports Business Management at Florida Southern College, joins Business of Sports: The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, where he says that actions Beijing and other Olympic host sites have been implementing to combat climate change has simply not been enough to offset their carbon footprint.
Bamboo-based toilet paper company Cloud Paper raised $5 million in a recent funding round. Its product is a bamboo-based alternative to traditional toilet paper made from trees, and its mission is to end the deforestation caused by traditional paper products. Cloud Paper says the raise will allow it to make significant investments in its supply chain, product development, and hiring. Ryan Fritsch, a co-founder of Cloud Paper, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Space tourism company World View plans to launch its first commercial flights in early 2024, with voyages to take off from iconic locations around the world like the Grand Canyon — but seemingly at a flexible price point. Dale Hipsh, president of tourism and exploration at World View, joined Cheddar to discuss what a trip to the stratosphere would look like with his company and its much less expensive take on space travel. "Our technology allows us to be more democratic, to offer more opportunities for people to experience near space, and that overview effect," he said. "So we're really thrilled to be bringing it to market."
A recent NOAA report found America's coastline could experience a century's worth of sea rise in just 30 years. By 2050, water on the U.S. coast will be 10-12 inches higher, causing major eastern cities to be hit regularly with floods, even on sunny days. Gary Mitchum, professor of physical oceanography at the University of South Florida, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The Biden administration is launching a new task force to promote the use of 'cleaner' construction materials with lower life cycle emissions. This comes as the White House works to speed up government purchases of greener products. Sweta Chakraborty, climate change expert and U.S. president of "We Don't Have Time," joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Stephen Gardner, director at ETF Managers Group, explains why investors shouldn't be rushing to sell vaccine stocks like Moderna or BioNTech even as the spread of COVID-19 slows down.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Evolution Devices CEO breaks down how the Evowalk wearable device can help those with walking impairments; Cresilon CEO explains how he's created a plant-based gel to easily treat wounds in both humans and animals; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Colorado Problem.'
Pier Mantovani, Founder and CEO of Evolution Devices, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the Evowalk wearable device can help those with walking impairments, and how remote physical therapy is becoming a reality.
Joe Landolina, CEO and Co-Founder of Cresilon, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how he's created a plant-based gel to easily treat wounds in both humans and animals.
