TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, PENNSYLVANIA, USA. According to the World Health Organization, almost 35 million people around the world are infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) which is acquired by transferring of bodily fluids. After decades of studies, a team of researchers led by Kamel Khalili, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience , and Wenhui Hu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience (both at Temple) had discovered a way to kill the virus from cultured human cells.

The research team believes that this may be the greatest breakthrough in medical history. The virus mainly damages the immune system which makes the body prone to more infections. This cure is great news to everyone who carries the disease as it may mean that they can stop taking lifelong medications.

Khalili with his team made this possible by creating molecular tools to eradicate HIV-1 proviral DNA from human cells. A mixture of nuclease and guide RNA (gRNA) zero in on the viral genome once stimulated then remove DNA with HIV-1. The genome that was altered will be rebuilt by the cell’s gene fixing components. By that process, it makes cells that were once infected, relieved from the virus.

Further research is being made for this cure which will be tried on animals then lastly on humans. The team would like to completely eradicate HIV virus and next on their list would be the most dreaded AIDS. It is the last deadly stage of HIV which has no known cure as of the moment. “This is one important step on the path toward a permanent cure for AIDS,” said Dr. Kamel Khalili, in a press conference. “It’s an exciting discovery, but it’s not yet ready to go into the clinic. It’s a proof of concept that we’re moving in the right direction.”

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