The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted retrovirus impacting millions of people worldwide. Strides have been made to cure and/or prevent various genetic mutations via gene editing. Scientists hope to rid of HIV on a genomic level which will also prevent Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) - a biproduct of HIV. HIV utilizes a mechanism that counteracts the innate, adaptive, and intrinsic immune systems. Because the virus’s replication takes place in the lymphatic organs, the infection traverses the entire bloodstream. Due to the complexity of HIV and AIDS, their constant evolution, and their effect on a genomic level, no cures are currently available, but some treatments are recommended. Antiviral drugs, Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, fusion inhibitors and CCR5 antagonists are mainly used. Studies show that while CD4 receptors are integral to human survival the CCR5 receptors are not. This paper compares and contrasts the TALEN, PiggyBac, CRISPR, and Sleeping Beauty gene editing methods in order to find the best technique to eradicate HIV. Sleeping Beauty and PiggyBac use transposable elements as non-viral gene delivery with slight variations. TALEN is another class of gene editing method which uses endonuclease proteins as their editing tools. After comparing many papers on Google scholar and Touro library, the most efficient method is called CRISPR-Cas9.This method is the most precise and versatile yet simple. CRISPR-Cas9 uses one piece of guide RNA and an enzyme called Cas9 which is the scissors. Delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 into cell is achieved by utilizing an integrative lentiviral vector. Overhanging RNA called scaffold RNA is then inserted into the genome. Experimentations show the accuracy and efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9 in conferring HIV-1 resistance in Vivo. Based on the aforementioned studies, properties of the CRISPR- Cas9 system include versatility, availability, simplicity, easy manipulation and efficacy. CRISPR- Cas9 should therefore be utilized for HIV-1 protection.
Recommended Citation
Israel Hacker. (2022). What is the Best Method to Cure HIV?. The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, 16(1), 26-30. Retrieved from https://touroscholar.touro.edu/sjlcas/vol16/iss1/5
