CCR5

Timothy Ray Brown, First Person to Be Cured of HIV, Dies

Kerry Grens | Sep 30, 2020 | 2 min read

The AIDS activist, also known as the Berlin patient, represented optimism that scientists could find a way to beat HIV.

Deafness Gene GJB2 Edited in Human Eggs

Emily Makowski | Oct 18, 2019 | 2 min read

The research, led by Russian biologist Denis Rebrikov, has not led to the birth of gene-edited babies—yet.

Error in Study Linking HIV Resistance Gene to Increased Mortality

Emily Makowski | Sep 30, 2019 | 2 min read

The authors have requested a retraction of a paper that found people with the CCR5 Δ32 variant are more likely to die sooner.

ccr5 delta32 genetic mutation hiv t cell

Genetic Mutation that Prevents HIV Infection Tied to Earlier Death

Emma Yasinski | Jun 3, 2019 | 3 min read

Those with two copies of the Δ32 allele in the CCR5 gene are 21 percent more likely to die by age 76, although it’s not clear why.

Long-Term HIV Remission After Medicine Discontinued

Kerry Grens | Mar 5, 2019 | 2 min read

The “London patient” may represent the second person cured of the infection by a cell transplant.

Scientist Forged Ethical Reviews for CRISPRed Babies

Kerry Grens | Jan 21, 2019 | 1 min read

He Jiankui could face charges after an investigation finds he used techniques prohibited in China to edit the genes of twin girls.

Genome Editing on Board

Bob Grant | Jan 1, 2019 | 3 min read

2018 closed with hubbub surrounding the purported birth of babies whose genomes had been edited using CRISPR. What will 2019 hold for CRISPR’s use in humans?

Opinion: Don’t Ban the Use of CRISPR in Embryos

John D. Loike | Nov 29, 2018 | 2 min read

Despite a premature and ethically sketchy claim of genome editing in twin girls, an outright prohibition could blunt promising, responsible progress.

Second CRISPR-Modified Pregnancy May Be Underway

Ashley P. Taylor | Nov 28, 2018 | 2 min read

He Jiankui, who reportedly edited the genomes of two babies already, broke the news at a conference in Hong Kong.

Rice University Professor Helped Generate CRISPR’d Babies

Ashley P. Taylor | Nov 27, 2018 | 1 min read

The college has opened an investigation into Michael Deem’s involvement.

Claim of First Gene-Edited Babies Triggers Investigation

Catherine Offord | Nov 26, 2018 | 2 min read

He Jiankui says he has successfully used CRISPR-Cas9 to tweak the genes of twins born earlier this month. Some independent experts are dubious.

Resistance to HIV Engineered Via CRISPR

Anna Azvolinsky | Aug 3, 2017 | 3 min read

Mice transplanted with human hematopoietic stem cells that have an HIV receptor gene, CCR5, disrupted by gene editing allows the animals to ward off HIV infection.

New Way to Edit Genes

Jef Akst | Oct 1, 2015 | 1 min read

Researchers develop a more-efficient method for rewriting DNA that could hold therapeutic value for HIV and other diseases.

timothy ray brown hiv aids activist ccr5 delta32 natural immunity

Miraculous Activist

Kerry Grens | May 1, 2015 | 4 min read

Timothy Ray Brown, commonly referred to as the “Berlin patient,” does not want to be the only person cured of AIDS.

Master of Fate

Megan Scudellari | Jul 1, 2013 | 9 min read

While tracing the tricky and sometimes surprising paths of multipotent cells in the skin, mammary gland, and heart, Cédric Blanpain has repeatedly turned the stem cell field on its head.

Messing with HIV

Jef Akst | Jun 1, 2012 | 1 min read

Sangamo Biosciences is putting a different spin on gene therapy.

Scientist as Subject

Kerry Grens | Oct 1, 2010 | 3 min read

By a fortuitous twist of genetic fate, a small percentage of humans, roughly one in 100, are able to resist infection to HIV.