Finding the cure for HIV

 HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) remains one of the most significant global health challenges, affecting millions of people worldwide. Despite the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs , which effectively suppresses the virus from replicating it’s genomic material in the host cells , a complete cure hasn’t be discovered yet. The search for a cure has advanced greatly over the past few decades, with researchers exploring various approaches hoping to either eradicate the virus or achieve long-term remission without ongoing treatment. This article discusses the progress in finding a cure for HIV, highlighting the promising developments in research and potential therapies aimed towards achieving a safe and stable treatment for this viral infection. 

ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART)

This involves the use of antiretroviral drugs, drugs that limits and prevent the replication of the viral DNA of the HIV in the host cells. This therapy has transformed HIV from a fatal disease into a manageable not so life threatening chronic condition. ART effectively suppresses viral replication, allowing people living with HIV to lead longer and healthier lives. However, ART is not a cure; it requires lifelong adherence, and any interruption in treatment can lead to viral rebound (Margolis et al., 2023). It is ineffective in eradicating the virus in latent reservoirs forms within the body, making eradication difficult. This challenge has driven researchers to explore new strategies aimed at curing the infection . Modern research classifies potential HIV cure into two thus, sterilizing Cure and Functional cure. A sterilizing cure would completely eliminate the virus from the body, while a functional cure would suppress the virus to undetectable levels without the need for ongoing treatment (Deeks et al., 2022).ART falls under functional cure, with time and more research , ART could significantly improve the quality of life for people living with HIV and reduce the need for daily medication. 

GENE EDITING TECHNIQUES

Particularly CRISPR-Cas9, has shown significant promise in targeting and eliminating HIV from infected cells. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) are DNA sequences that Bacteria use to recognize previously encountered viral DNA , on the other hand Cas9 is a protein enzyme that can cut DNA segments at specific locations.

Recent studies have demonstrated that CRISPR can precisely cut the viral DNA integrated into the host genome, effectively reducing the viral load (Xu et al., 2023). Researchers are optimistic that with further refinement, gene editing could be a viable approach for eradicating HIV reservoirs in the body. 

STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION 

It became the focus of many researchers when the  case of Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the "Berlin Patient," who was functionally cured of HIV after receiving a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a genetic mutation on the gene that codes CCCR5-Δ32 receptor on cell surfaces became a talk of the scientific society.This mutation makes cells resistant to HIV infection. A similar thing was observed when two other patients "London Patient" and "Düsseldorf Patient” got cured of HIV by the same process suggesting that stem cell transplantation could lead to long-term viral remission (Gupta et al., 2022). However, this approach is currently not feasible due to its high risks and complexity. Also the process requires donors with CCCR5-∆32 gene mutation which occurs about 1% in the total population and considerably expensive. Also, the use of latency reversing agents which function to reverse the dormancy of latent reservoirs of the HIV hidden in the body by integrating into the DNA of host cells.  

LATENCY REVERSING AGENTS(LRAS) .

They are mostly agents designed to "wake up" dormant viral reserves and making them visible to the immune system and susceptible to attack (Li et al., 2023). Although some LRAs have shown potential in preclinical studies, their effectiveness in human trials has been limited, and more work is needed to improve their potency and safety Challenges and Future Directions Despite these promising advancements.

CHALLENGES

significant challenges remain in the path toward attaining a potent , safe and secured HIV cure. One of the main hurdles is the genetic diversity of HIV, HIV has evolved into many other strains with each strain having a unique way of penetrating and evading the immune system of host cells. Additionally, the virus's ability to establish latent(inactive forms) reservoirs in various tissues makes it difficult to target all infected cells (Siliciano & Greene, 2023).

THE WAY FORWARD

Future research will likely focus on developing combination therapies that can tackle multiple aspects of the virus simultaneously. Also collaborative global efforts and increased funding for HIV research will be crucial in accelerating the development of a cure. Innovations in biotechnology, coupled with a deeper understanding of the virus's biology, will play a key role in guiding future strategies.

             Although a complete cure for HIV remains an unmet goal, funding and continues advancements in the area of research has  brought researchers closer than ever before to finally getting a cure for HIV. Breakthroughs in gene editing, stem cell therapy, latency-reversing agents, and therapeutic vaccines offer hope for achieving long-term effect HIV cure therapies or even a sterilizing cure. Continued investment in research.