Does it mean that the cure for HIV is just a few years away? Scientists at Temple University snipped HIV from the DNA of human cells completely.

A cure for HIV could be just years away scientists hope, after they succeeded in cutting the virus out of infected cells, eradicating it permanently.

Giant strides have been taken in HIV research since the virus was discovered in 1981, transforming the once killer disease into a chronic illness that can now be managed with drugs.

Yet the Holy Grail of the HIV scientific sphere - a cure - has so far eluded experts.

Much research has focused on the so-called 'shock and kill' approach, where drugs are used to reactive latent reserves of the virus hiding in the body, before additional medication is deployed to stimulate the immune system to kill all traces of HIV.

But, a team of scientists at Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine, believe a gene editing technique, known as Crispr/Cas9, could pave the way for an injection to cure sufferers.

A team of scientists at Temple University in Philadelphia have shown that by snipping HIV from infected cells, they are able to eliminate the infection from the cells' DNA, and prevent reinfection

Dr Kamel Khalili, who led the research, said: 'The findings are important on multiple levels.

'They demonstrate the effectiveness of our gene editing system in eliminating HIV from the DNA of CD4 T-cells and, by introducing mutations in the viral genome, permanently inactivating its replication.

'Further, they show that the system can protect cells from reinfection and that the technology is safe for the cells, with no toxic effects.'

'These experiments had not been performed previously to this extent,' he added. 'But the questions they address are critical, and the results allow us to move ahead with this technology.'

While the experiments have so far only been carried out in human cells in the lab, clinical trials on humans could begin within three years, The Telegraph reports.

Crispr is an enzyme harnessed by other scientists in their quest for an HIV cure.

It is used to re-engineer CD4 - those primarily infected with HIV - outside of the body, before re-introducing them.

The findings... demonstrate the effectiveness of our gene editing system in eliminating HIV from the DNA of CD4 T-cells and, by introducing mutations in the viral genome, permanently inactivating its replication
Dr Kamel Khalili, Temple University

Cas9 represents a development of this technique.

The enzyme removes the virus from the human CD4 cell, effectively cutting it from the DNA, before rejoining the ends of the DNA strand.

The edited cells would then be reintroduced to the body, with researchers estimating replacing 20 per cent of affected immune cells with genetically engineered cells, would be enough to cure a sufferer of the disease, The Telegraph reports.

One key finding was that the technique left other genes in the targeted chromomsomes unaffected, with no indication of potentially harmful mutation or shortened lifespan.

Critics of the Crispr approach have warned that by altering specific parts of DNA, there is the risk of unwanted mutations occurring.

In previous studies the team had displayed their ability to snip HIV from the DNA of CD4 cells.

But this new piece of research took that one step further, to show those cells that had been subjected to the treatment remained protected against HIV infection, even if cells were exposed to the virus at a later time.

Their findings show the gene editing system can suppress replication of HIV and dramatically reduce the viral load - the measure of how much HIV is in the bloodstream - in patients' cells. 

The Crispr/Cas9 technique removes the virus from the human CD4 cell, effectively cutting it from the DNA, before rejoining the ends of the DNA strand (illustrated). The edited cells would then be reintroduced to the body, with researchers estimating replacing 20 per cent of affected immune cells with genetically engineered cells, would be enough to cure a sufferer of the disease

Professor Matthew Cobb, of Manchester University told the BBC Radio's 4's Today programme the research marks 'an important step forward'.

'This is part of a wave of research that is being done using these new techniques to attack HIV in particular but also a number of other diseases.

'This is a technology which enables you to change the genes. Effectively you can engineer the body to cure itself from the inside.'

The study, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, is published online this month in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports.

Source: DailyMail.

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