Fighting AIDS with Viruses
Scientists deploying viruses that target other viruses are a step closer to developing a treatment for HIV. By identifying HIV-infected cells, they're hoping to make it easier for drugs to find and destroy them.
Called a lentiviral vector, the virus picks out cells with HIV, and makes them stand out. Current HIV drugs destroy the virus, but also do a lot of collateral damage.
In testing in culture dishes, the technique destroyed about a third of infected cells while leaving most healthy cells untouched. Researchers are anticipating that in actual application the technique would be repeated several times.