Key points from article :
Researchers may have the solution to herpes simplex virus 1 or oral herpes.
Around 67% of the global population under the age of 50 is thought to have it.
Using gene editing, they removed HSV-1 from infected cells in a new mouse study.
Animal models showed at least a 90 % reduction of the virus in the superior cervical ganglia.
They focused on the nerve pathways that run between the neck and face.
This includes the tissue where the HSV-1 hides in a dormant state and evades the immune system.
Two types of gene editing “scissors” were used to cut the DNA of the virus.
This is to damage it beyond repair and destroy the virus.
Because with just a single pair of scissors, the virus was able to repair itself.
The twin DNA scissors called meganucleases were delivered via deactivated viral vector.
Human trials for these approaches are planned in the next three years or so.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published in Nature Communications.
