A single gene therapy injection given at birth could provide years of HIV protection, according to new preclinical research results published in Nature.

In the trial, called ‘ Determinants of successful AAV-vectored delivery of HIV-1 bNAbs in early life,’ infant rhesus macaques received a gene therapy that reprogrammed cells to continuously produce HIV-fighting antibodies. Almost all (90%) of the monkeys that received it within the first month of life saw at least three years of HIV protection, with no need for a booster.

The treatment was delivered to muscle cells using a harmless adeno-associated virus (AAV). The genetic code within the treatment instructs the muscle cells to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies, which can tackle multiple HIV strains. Human clinical trials are al

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