Gene-editing tech could make people immune to flu, HIV in future

Vaccines for viral infections like flu are difficult to develop, but thanks to new emerging gene-editing technology, people could soon go immune to flu or even HIV.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have developed a new technique for artificially creating advanced and longer-lasting antibodies by gene-editing the DNA of B cells – immune systems white blood cells responsible for creating antibodies.

As per Futurism, several traditional antibody treatments are only effective for a short time period; antibodies tend to break down rapidly, later requiring additional injections. According to scientists, their technique can ultimately allow doctors to overcome this hurdle since the new antibodies would only need to be injected once.

Chinese scientists clone gene-edited monkeys for disease research

The research published in the journal bioRxiv described that initial tests involved 15 mice and showed promising results, providing 82 days of protection against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – a respiratory tract infection that can prove dangerous for children and adults both.

Moreover, according to New Scientist, despite gene-editing being a rapidly growing trend, scientists still need to prove the technique completely safe, which might take few years. But, according to the research, if the technology ever becomes treatment for humans in future, ‘thousands of hospital visits, disabilities, and death could be prevented each year’.