The researchers of theFred Hutch Institute against Cancer in Seattle have developed a gene therapy which, tested on mice, showed impressive results: elimination of 90% of the cold herpes virus and 97% of genital herpes.
A discovery that could significantly improve the treatment of herpes, this stubborn virus responsible for painful and unsightly cold sores.
As a reminder, herpes is particularly difficult to combat because it colonizes nerve cells and can remain dormant for months or years. When he wakes up, often because of fatigue, stress, or exposure to the cold or the sun, it causes outbreaks of cold sores.
When dormant, the virus is almost undetectable by the immune system and medications are often ineffective, since they can only block its replication and eliminate the symptoms, but not the virus itself.
What are the results of the study?
Researchers have developed vectors, modified viruses able to locate the nerve cells where herpes is hiding. Which represents a real scientific feat, because the virus is undetectable by our immune system. These vectors carry an enzyme that acts as DNA scissors, cutting the viral DNA at two specific places, making it impossible to repair. This technique is directly inspired by technology CRISPR-Cas9recognized by a Nobel Prize.
Martine Aubert, co-director of the research team and former doctoral student at Poincaré University in Nancy, explains that this method made it possible to reduce 90% of herpes labialis virus in mice in one month, thus reducing the risk of transmission. The method therefore makes it possible to destroy the DNA of the virus hidden in our nerve cells but without damaging them. Researchers now hope to launch human clinical trials.
Can we transpose this “gene therapy” to humans?
Next to 4 billion people worldwide are infected with the herpes virus HSV-1. If clinical trials on humans confirm the results obtained on mice, this gene therapy could offer an effective solution against cold sores. It still remains to evaluate possible side effects. of this therapy on the nerves or the liver in particular.
The application of gene therapy often arouses fear, but the hope of getting rid of cold sores could well change the lives of patients who suffer from them. The promising results of this research on mice represent a potential turning point in the treatment of herpes but also a major advance regarding gene therapies, often victims of prejudice.
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