60 years after the first case of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was recorded, researchers have now found a potential cure which is finally set to be tested on humans.

The CRISPR-based therapy EBT-101 created by Excision Biotherapeutics will soon undergo human trials after receiving FDA clearance.

According to Excision, the novel therapy could replace the standard of care, retroviral therapy that prevents HIV from replicating, but doesn’t really eliminate it from the body entirely. This basically means patients continue living on the treatment while experiencing severe side effects that impact the quality of life.

Led by Dr Kamel Khalili, the pioneer in the development of CRISPR-based gene editing tech, the novel treatment has shown that EBT-101 can effectively excise HIV proviral DNA from the genomes of different cells and tissues, including HIV-infected human cells and cells and tissues of humanised mice.

“We could soon be very close to a cure for HIV as a CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tech that showed success in mice is now approved for undergoing clinical trials on humans.”
Dr Kamel Khalili

Researchers, in collaboration with Tricia H. Burdo, PhD, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Education in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Inflammation, revealed that the gene-editing technology is also capable of eliminating SIV – a virus closely related to HIV, originating from the genomes of non-human primates.

Khalili, in a statement, described the development of a potential cure for the age long virus as an ‘excitement development’.

“The clinical trials highlight a well-orchestrated succession of academic research findings from Temple, now with the translation [of those findings] to treatment for people living with HIV-1 infection, which is an exciting development.”
Dr Kamel Khalili

Lisa Danzig, MD, Excision’s Chief Medical Officer, added, “EBT-101 has demonstrated removal of proviral DNA in multiple animal models and offers an opportunity for individuals living with HIV to potentially cease life-long therapies.”

Based on the statement, the biotech company now plans to initiate a phase 1/2 clinical trial that would be scheduled for later this year, 2021.

Africa Still Battling with HIV

A recent three-day regional summit on HIV/AIDS held in Dakar, Senegal, concluded with a call to action that urges stronger support for community-led responses, policies driven by science and data, increased investment in the HIV response and putting HIV at the centre of pandemic preparedness and response. In his closing remarks, the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, committed to advancing the call to action with the African Union and pledged additional funds to implement it in Senegal and across the region.

Western and Central Africa is home to 4.7 million people living with HIV and 12% of those living with HIV globally, but experiences 22% of all HIV deaths in the world. Countries in the region, on average, have seen slower declines in HIV infections than other countries on the continent and HIV prevalence in women is significantly higher than in men. Access to HIV testing and treatment reached 73% of people living with HIV in 2020, up from 38% in 2015, but short of the 81% goal that was set for 2020. The region has the world’s highest number of HIV-positive pregnant women still waiting for treatment, and just 24% of children living with HIV were virally suppressed.

Therefore, if the researchers are able to make headway and get the technology to work effectively, they could scrub AIDS from the face of the planet. It would also make it a lot easier for HIV-positive adults who understand the risks, go for treatment to eliminate the virus from their bodies.