---
title: "CRISPR Helps Scientists Cure HIV In Living Animals For First Time"
description: "Using a combination of CRISPR and antiretroviral therapy, researcher eliminated the HIV virus from the genomes of mice engineered to produce human T cells."
date: "2019-07-03"
modified: "2019-07-03"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/crispr-cure-hiv-living-animals-first-time"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "AIDS"
  - "antiretroviral therapy"
  - "CRISPR"
  - "HIV"
  - "the digest"
---

# CRISPR Helps Scientists Cure HIV In Living Animals For First Time

![Using a combination of CRISPR and antiretroviral therapy, researcher eliminated the HIV virus from the genomes of mice engineered to produce human T cells.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/crispr-cure-hiv-living-animals-first-time.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NIAID/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## One-Two Combo

For the first time, researchers have [eliminated HIV](<https://www.templehealth.org/about/news/hiv-eliminated-from-the-genomes-of-living-animals>), the virus that causes AIDS, from the genomes of living animals — a major accomplishment along the path to freeing the world of this deadly disease.

For the [study](<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10366-y>), published Tuesday in the journal *Nature Communications*, researchers from Temple University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center started by engineering mice to produce human T cells susceptible to [HIV infection](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/hiv-immunotherapy-draws-cells-kills-them>).

After they infected the mice, they used a therapeutic strategy known as long-acting slow-effective release antiretroviral therapy (LASER ART) to suppress HIV replication within the animals.

Finally, the researchers used CRISPR to remove HIV DNA from the infected cells.

## From Mice to Humans

When the researchers later analyzed the mice, they found that about one-third of the animals showed no signs of HIV.

They are now eager to test their combination LASER ART/CRISPR therapy in non-human primates — and if those trials go well, human trials could kick off within the year, researcher Kamel Khalili said in a [press release](<https://www.templehealth.org/about/news/hiv-eliminated-from-the-genomes-of-living-animals>).

However, while the team is optimistic, it's also aware that it has a lot of ground to cover between mice and humans.

"Things that work in mice, may not work in men," researcher Howard Gendelman [told *CNBC*](<https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/02/researchers-used-crispr-technology-to-cure-hiv-in-living-mice.html>). "The limitations of any mouse work have to do with the species, how the drug is administered, the distribution, which is a lot easier than a man or a woman."

**READ MORE:** [Researchers say they’re closer to finding cure for HIV after using CRISPR technology to eliminate disease in live mice for the first time](<https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/02/researchers-used-crispr-technology-to-cure-hiv-in-living-mice.html>) \[*CNBC*\]

**More on HIV:** *[First-of-Its-Kind HIV Therapy Draws out the Virus, Then Kills It](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/hiv-immunotherapy-draws-cells-kills-them>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)