CRISPR-Cas genome editing might one day be used to cure HIV

Is a functional HIV cure on the horizon?

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ONE OF THE most significant challenges in treating HIV is the virus' ability to integrate its genome into the host's DNA. This means that lifelong antiretroviral therapy is essential, as latent HIV can reactivate from reservoirs as soon as treatment ends.

Now, preliminary research shows that gene editing can be used to eliminate all traces of the HIV virus from infected cells in the laboratory.