Application of CRISPR-Cas9 for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV-1 Prevention

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. As of today, the virus is prevalent, particularly across the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa [23]. There are treatments in place for the prevention of HIV, however, for those who are HIV/AIDS positive there’s still a long way to go in terms of developing treatments to cure the disease entirely. In this review, we will cover how CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to treat HIV-1 thereby overcoming limitations of existing treatments. For example, while highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is used to suppress HIV’s replication process, it cannot cure HIV as it cannot target inactive HIV-1. CRISPR-Cas9 could treat latent HIV-1 infection by editing out the viral DNA in the host’s genome, removing the co-receptors of the host cell, genetically modifying HSC cells, and combining the use of CRISPR-Cas9 with “Shock and Kill.” However, while these methods of preventing and treating HIV-1 do show promise, they will need to be further developed with biological limitations in mind which will be covered in this review. In addition to biological limitations, moral and ethical concerns are present as CRISPR-Cas9 introduces designer babies with somatically edited genes, super-humans, and malignant mutations, these considerations will be covered in the discussion.