Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to pose immense challenges globally as one of the most formidable infectious diseases affecting millions of people. Although combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has notably enhanced the quality of life for people living with HIV, it falls short of providing a cure, necessitating lifelong adherence. Consequently, there is a pressing need within the scientific community to explore innovative strategies aimed at eradicating the virus from the human body. Gene editing represents a promising avenue in this pursuit.

The primary challenge in applying gene editing for HIV treatment is the efficient and safe delivery of gene-editing tools to all HIV-infected cells in the body, including those in the brain and other sanctuary sites. While delivery methods such as viral vectors and lipid nanoparticles are being explored, each has limitations related to targeting specificity, immune response, and potential toxicity. Additionally, there is a significant risk of off-target effects, where gene-editing tools may inadvertently modify the host genome at unintended sites, leading to undesirable consequences such as cancer or other genetic disorders. Enhancing the specificity and accuracy of these technologies is crucial to mitigate these risks. Despite the challenges that persist, the ongoing advancement of gene-editing technologies presents a hopeful path toward an HIV cure. With continued research and clinical trials, these cutting-edge approaches hold the potential to eventually deliver a definitive solution to one of the most enduring public health challenges of our era.

This Research Topic seeks to explore recent advancements in HIV gene editing, with a specific focus on leveraging CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene editing technologies to disrupt the HIV genome, confer resistance to host cells against infection, and potentially eliminate latent viral reservoirs.

This Research Topic will cover a broad spectrum of themes related to HIV gene editing. Specific topics of interest include:

1. Mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene editing tools in targeting the HIV genome.
2. Development and optimization of delivery systems for gene editing therapies.
3. In vivo and ex vivo studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of gene editing approaches.
4. Ethical considerations and regulatory challenges in the clinical application of HIV gene editing.
5. Potential synergies between gene editing and other therapeutic strategies, such as immune modulation or latency reversal.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and opinion pieces that contribute to the understanding and advancement of HIV gene editing technologies. Manuscripts should provide novel insights, experimental data, and critical analyses that push the boundaries of current knowledge and foster discussions on the path towards a functional cure for HIV.

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Frontiers in Genome Editing

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