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.
Covid-19 has changed the way we view wellness. Jillian Hughes, communications director of Mental Health America, joins Cheddar News to discuss breaking the stigma around mental health. Justin Davis, CEO and co-founder of Spectrum Labs, weighs in on how social media impacts our wellbeing. Lastly, Precision Nutrition CEO Timothy Jones advices us on what trends to watch in 2022.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Founder of Unlimited Tomorrow breaks down how he is creating completely 3D printed prosthetics to make them more affordable, customizable, and accessible; Chief Technology Officer of Zebra Technologies explains what the future of collaboration between robots and humans may look like; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Mystery of the Roman Skulls.'
Each year about 5,000 people are diagnosed with ALS. This is such an important conversation. A disease that can weaken a patient's muscles and impact physical function. However, one research company says that could all change soon. Coya Therapeutics has developed a way to isolate a patient problematic T-cells in order to help ultimately slow the decline of not just ALS, but potentially Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases as well. Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Coya Therapeutics, Dr. Howard Berman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
In the fight against climate change, much of the conversation revolves around reducing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide or methane - and attempting to raise oxygen levels. But there's another gas - hydrogen - that could play a big role in the fight for the climate. Marco Alvera, CEO of Italian energy infrastructure company Snam and author of the book, 'The Hydrogen Revolution,' joined Cheddar Climate to explain the role hydrogen plays in helping achieve a net-zero future.
Americans looking to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests will now have to shell out a bit more money after an agreement expired between the White House and companies to sell the tests at cost. The price of Abbot's BinaxNow test kit from October to December was $14 apiece; on Tuesday, Walmart's website listed the test for $19.88, and Kroger listed the tests for $23.99. Carbon Health Regional Clinical Director Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact higher prices will have as the nation experiences another surge in cases.
As millions of kids go back to school, districts across the country are determined to keep class in person, despite a surge in COVID cases. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to keep the nation's largest school system open amid Omicron, citing the disastrous effect of remote learning on students. Oswald Feliz, NYC council member who sits on the health and education committee, joined Cheddar to discuss the city's plan to combat the recent surge and keep kids in school.
Schools across the country are determined to keep class in session, despite the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant. While many parents prefer in-person learning, they also worry whether the current public health guidelines will be enough to protect their kids. Erin Richards, national education reporter for USA Today, joined Cheddar to discuss how are schools are preparing for the surge to avoid another round of remote learning.
With the annual CES convention underway amid COVID, HP unveiled rolled out a number of new products virtually this year, including new gaming PCs and 4K display monitors. But as industries look toward a greener future, HP is working with the climate crisis in mind. James McCall, chief sustainability officer at HP, joined Cheddar's Kristen Scholer to discuss the company's climate goals, which includes reducing its carbon footprint to net-zero by 2040. He admitted that reaching the ambitious goal will be difficult because much of the company's emissions totals come from third parties. "A large part of our footprint is outside of HP's direct control. A lot of it comes either from our incoming supply chain, the materials, our manufacturing process, or about 30 to 40 percent of it comes from our consumer-use base," McCall told Cheddar.
Pfizer and BioNTech are working to develop an mRNA-based shingles vaccine following the success of the COVID-19 shot. This latest collaboration will mark the third time the pharmaceutical companies have worked together on a vaccine.
The potential collapse of the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica has been deemed a potential "doomsday event" — researchers and scientists say its melting and collapse could raise global sea levels by at least two feet, enough to destroy coastal communities around the world. One team of scientists is traveling to the Thwaites glacier to drill below in order to gauge current ocean temperatures and attempt to model possible outcomes. David Holland, professor at NYU and Principal Investigator for the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss the glacier's potential collapse, his team's research plan, and more.
