Engineered DNA modifying enzymes: components of a future strategy to cure HIV/AIDS

Despite phenomenal advances in AIDS therapy transforming the disease into a chronic illness for most patients, a routine cure for HIV infections remains a distant goal. However, a recent example of HIV eradication in a patient who had received CCR5-negative bone marrow cells after full-body irradiation has fuelled new hopes for a cure for AIDS. Here, we review new HIV treatment strategies that use sophisticated genome engineering to target HIV infections. These approaches offer new ways to tackle the infection, and alone or in conjunction with already established treatments, promise to transform HIV into a curable disease.