A new study from Tel Aviv University offers a new and unique HIV treatment that could be developed as a vaccine or as a one-time treatment for HIV patients.
Staining of engineered cells secreting anti-HIV antibodies
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A new study from Tel Aviv University offers a new and unique treatment for HIV. The study completed the engineering of B-type white blood cells in patients to secrete anti-HIV antibodies in response to the virus. The study, led by Dr. Adi Barzel and PhD student Alessio Nehmad, was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology .
Over the past two decades, the lives of many people living with AIDS have improved as a result of treatment that has transformed the disease from fatal to chronic . However, we still have a long way to go before we find treatments that can provide patients with a permanent cure.
Dr. Barzel’s lab has developed for the first time a possible method, a one-time injection. The technology developed in his lab utilizes B cells, white blood cells that will be genetically engineered in a patient to secrete neutralizing antibodies against the HIV virus that causes the disease.
B cells are a type of white blood cell responsible for producing antibodies against viruses, bacteria, and more. B cells form in the bone marrow. As they mature, B cells enter the blood and lymphatic systems and from there to different parts of the body.
Barzel explained: “Until now, only a few scientists, including us, have been able to engineer B cells in vitro, and here In this study, we are the first group to do this in vivo and get these cells to produce the desired antibodies. Genetic engineering is done with viral vectors derived from viruses that are engineered to not cause damage , but just bring the gene encoding the antibody into the B cell in vivo. Furthermore, in this case, we have been able to introduce the antibody at the desired site in the B cell genome precisely. All treated model animals have response, and the blood contains a lot of the desired antibody. We generated the antibody from the blood and ensured that it actually effectively neutralized the HIV virus in the lab dish.”
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Gene editing is done with CRISPR. This is a technology based on the bacterial immune system to fight viruses. Bacteria use the CRISPR system as a molecular engine to locate viral sequences and cut them, rendering them ineffective. Two biochemists: Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna identify a complex defense mechanism,reversing course, cutting DNA of choice.
PhD student Alessio Nehmad elaborates on how CRISPR is built: “We combine CRISPR’s ability to introduce genes into desired sites with the The ability of the vector to bring the desired gene to the desired cell. So we were able to engineer B cells in the patient. We used two viral vectors from the AAV family, one encoding the desired antibody and the second encoding the CRISPR system When CRISPR cuts into the desired site in the B cell’s genome, it directs the introduction of the desired gene: the gene that encodes antibodies against the HIV virus that causes AIDS.”
The researchers explained that there is currently no gene therapy for AIDS, so the research opportunities are great. Dr. Barzel concluded: “We have developed an innovative treatment that defeats the virus with a single injection and has the potential to greatly improve the patient’s condition. When engineered B cells encounter the virus, the virus stimulates and encourages them to divide. , so that the real cause of the disease can be used to fight it. Also, if the virus changes, the B cells will change accordingly to fight it, so say we have created the first drug that can evolve and can be used in the ‘arms race’ ‘ to beat the virus.”
“Based on this research, we can expect that in the next few years we will be able to produce treatments in this way Drugs for AIDS, other infectious diseases, and certain cancers caused by viruses (eg, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer).”
References
In vivo engineered B cells secrete high titers of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies in mice