CRISPR gene editing therapy aimed at functional cure of HIV infection is about to start phase 1 clinical trial

On September 15, 2021, Excision BioTherapeutics announced that the US FDA has accepted the IND application for EBT-101

One of the reasons why HIV infection is difficult to cure is that the HIV virus can integrate the DNA into the genome of the host cell after reverse transcription of the RNA genome to produce DNA

EBT-101 is a therapeutic drug based on CRISPR gene editing in vivo.

Image source: Excision BioTherapeutics official website

Since CRISPR gene editing may produce off-target effects, and the repair process that connects DNA sequences after removal of proviral DNA may also introduce genetic mutations, this clinical trial will initially test the safety of the therapy and the efficiency of CRISPR to remove proviral DNA.

Reference materials:

[1] Excision Receives FDA Clearance of IND for Phase 1/2 Trial of EBT-101 CRISPR-Based Therapeutic for Treatment of HIV.

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