New DNA ‘Cutting’ Technology May Be a Path to HIV Cure
may be the next step to curing HIV: literally cutting the virus from an individual’s DNA where it has incorporated itself into the genome.
This “excision” is accomplished through the use of lipid nanoparticle-delivered CRISPR-Cas9. For those unfamiliar with this technology, CRISPR-Cas9 is effectively a biological “machine” that allows for the cutting and removal of specific sections of DNA.
The lipid nanoparticle (or LNP) serves as a means of delivering CRISPR-Cas9 to the DNA so it can enter and begin cutting away the virus.In simpler terms, think of the CRISPR-Cas9 as a pair of scissors.
While they’re very good at cutting, they still need a hand to guide them. In this metaphor, RNA is the hand that shows the CRISPR-Cas9 scissors where to go and where to cut.
