Johns Hopkins research indicates gene therapy could permanently quiet HIV; this could be a significant breakthrough in a healthcare approach to long-term HIV care.

A new breakthrough has been made in the field of healthcare (in the form of the Johns Hopkins study) which has found that gene therapy can potentially put HIV to rest forever. The article published in Science Advances underlines an antisense transcript (AST) molecule, which can be amplified to prevent the replication of HIV.

This is a medical advance in treating AST in T cells by genetic engineering, in effect silencing the virus-known as viral latency. The research was an encouraging experience with infected cells lying dormant four days following enhancement of AST.

Lead researcher Fabio Romerio focused on current antiretroviral treatment being efficient; however, it also needs lifetime use and has side effects. It may possibly provide a single-dose, long-lasting solution, which is what gene therapy can bring about by redefining the future of HIV treatment in the healthcare industry.

The researchers also tested 15 HIV-positive persons and this confirmed the possibility of AST in real-life applications. This finding classifies gene therapy as a revolutionizing aspect of the healthcare industry in the local as well as international scope, which may lessen the cost of medicines that the world consumes in their daily lives.

Rui Li, the co-author of the study, further said, “We aim at a sustainable solution that can make life better.” Since 39.9 million individuals worldwide have been infected with HIV, then this health technological innovation can become the turning point in the battle against AIDS.