A new approach may promise a potential cure and possible protection against HIV, thanks to researchers successfully eliminating the virus from cultured human cells for the first time in history.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1,148,200 persons aged 13 and older were living with HIV infection in the U.S. by the end of 2009.

Temple University School of Medicine researchers have been able to design a method to take out HIV-1 genes from human cells permanently, eliminating the need for lifelong drug treatments to keep the virus under control.

The researchers developed molecular tools to rid HIV-1 proviral DNA from human cells. When activated, a combination of nuclease and a guide RNA zero in on the viral genome and get rid of the HIV-1 DNA. The cell’s gene repair mechanism then takes over to bring the genome back together, leaving cells that are essentially virus-free.

Lead researchers Kamel Khalili, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Temple, and Wenhui Hu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Temple, are excited about the benefits of being able to eliminate latent HIV-1 virus from human cells.

“This is one important step on the path toward a permanent cure for AIDS. It’s an exciting discovery, but it’s not yet ready to go into the clinic. It’s a proof of concept that we’re moving in the right direction,” said Dr. Khalili in a statement.

The findings of the study are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.