A CRISPR-Cas Cure for HIV/AIDS.
Mouraya HusseinMariano A MolinaBen BerkhoutElena Herrera-CarrilloPublished in: International journal of molecular sciences (2023)
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and HIV-induced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continue to represent a global health burden. There is currently no effective vaccine, nor any cure, for HIV infections; existing antiretroviral therapy can suppress viral replication, but only as long as antiviral drugs are taken. HIV infects cells of the host immune system, and it can establish a long-lived viral reservoir, which can be targeted and edited through gene therapy. Gene editing platforms based on the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat-Cas system (CRISPR-Cas) have been recognized as promising tools in the development of gene therapies for HIV infections. In this review, we evaluate the current landscape of CRISPR-Cas-based therapies against HIV, with an emphasis on the infection biology of the virus as well as the activity of host restriction factors. We discuss the potential of a combined CRISPR-Cas approach that targets host and viral genes to activate antiviral host factors and inhibit viral replication simultaneously. Lastly, we focus on the challenges and potential solutions of CRISPR-Cas gene editing approaches in achieving an HIV cure.
Keyphrases
- antiretroviral therapy
- crispr cas
- human immunodeficiency virus
- hiv aids
- hiv infected
- hiv positive
- genome editing
- hiv infected patients
- hepatitis c virus
- hiv testing
- men who have sex with men
- global health
- public health
- gene therapy
- climate change
- gene expression
- oxidative stress
- endothelial cells
- copy number
- signaling pathway
- induced apoptosis
- risk assessment
- drug delivery
- cancer therapy
- genome wide
- south africa
- case report
- cell death