HIV in Biotechnology
The Benefits of HIV
The HIV virus has a special trait that allows it to carry genetic information effectively, almost like a car moving from one place to the next. Researchers are using HIV to treat genetic diseases through the process of gene therapy.
How it Works
To modify the the virus's genetic material, gene therapy becomes a very important factor. HIV is broken down and the genetic material that is harmful is removed and replaced with the correct genes for the patient. The renovated virus is then inserted into a test culture of hematopoietic stem cells from the patients bone marrow. The virus is then able to carry the good information and goes through its natural process of invading and creating more of it's kind. The culture is then reintroduced into the body and quickly makes copies of itself, repairing the diseased body.
Progress Thus Far
Italian research team from San Raffaele-Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy(TIGET) and Telethon proposed that the HIV virus could be used as a vector to enter a cell's DNA and cure diseases in 1996. 20 years later and marvelous things have come from it. From the first trials, 6 children had Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a genetic disorder that stops blood from clotting and can lead to being incredibly vulnerable to diseases, and were all cured. This was incredibly exciting and lead to further developments with HIV. Now, not only can Wiskott-Aldrich be cured, but so can metachromatic leukodystrophy, which causes faulty production of myelin needed to protect nerve cells. This method is safe and incredibly effective; now we wait for more advancements!
The life cycle of an invading HIV virus