HIV in Biotechnology
Dr. Luigi Naldani
In 1996, Dr. Luigi Naldani is an Italian researcher who embarked on a journey to use the potent and useful HIV virus as a gene transfer vector to infect difficult to reach and diseased cells. He conducted a clinical trial of the manipulated virus and six subjects came out cured of their diseases. These newly cured genetic diseases were metachromatic leukodystrophy and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.
San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy
This institute is a cross between the San Raffaele Scientific Institute and the Telethon Foundation founded in Milan, Italy. The mission of the Institute is to perform innovative research on gene transfer and cell transplantation and translate its results into successful clinical application of gene and cell therapy for genetic diseases. It is currently doing further research for HIV under Dr. Luigi Naldani and was in collaboration with him during the HIV clinical trials.
Claudio Bordignon
In 1992, Bordignon performed the first gene therapy procedure using hemotopoietic stem cells and was successfully able to cure adenosine deaminase deficiency, a disease that damages the immune system, and causes severe combined immunodeficiency, leaving the person vulnerable to diseases.
University of California, Davis
The university research team is currently working on using blood forming stem cells and inserting three anti-HIV genes into them to create and entirely new immune system that could not only cure HIV, but also cancer forming cells.
CRISPR Therapeutics
They are a company who aims to develop gene-based medications to solve the diseases at the molecular level. They use the CRISPR/Cas9, a type of advanced gene editing technology, so further knowledge themselves on gene therapy that could help HIV solve more genetic diseases itself.
Calimmune In.
Since 2007, Calimmune has worked on developing new and exciting ways to use stem cells to cure the HIV/Aids virus. In 2014, they announced successful and encouraging results to the clinical trials of the gene therapy. They are currently furthering their knowledge on the virus and going through more clinical trials.
Dr. Carl June
While under the National Center of Biomedical Information, June collected and isolated a young girl with leukemia's T cells let them culture. With a genetically modified and dormant HIV virus inside, he inserted the cells back into the girl's body and helped to temporarily cure her cancer and live a better and longer life. The trial also involved three other adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, in which 2 of them had there cancer become inactive as well. This held high promise for future innovations.
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UC San Diego: AIDS Research Institute
Since it's foundation in 1996, the research team at UC San Diego has worked for many years. Their drive and focus is to regulate the advancements in AIDS research as well as promote, spread, and share information and ideas to put an end to the HIV virus.
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The Innovators of HIV
HIV being incorperated into genetics to help cure diseases is relatively new. Many companies and people are working hard to make this difficult dream a reality.