The HIV virus has been successfully removed from infected cells during research using the Nobel Prize-winning Crispr gene replacement technology, scientists say.
It functions like scissors, only at the molecular level, and cuts the DNA so "precisely" that the virus can be eliminated or deactivated.
Scientists hope that this therapy could eventually completely rid the body of the virus, although much work remains to be done to verify that it is safe and effective.
Existing HIV drugs can stop the virus, but not eliminate it.
- The press conference that changed the world - the day Magic announced that he was HIV positive
- A patient called Nada - the body fought the HIV virus by itself
- Life and death with HIV: "No more burials in black bags, but there are in metal boxes"
A team of researchers from the University of Amsterdam presented the work so far at a medical conference this week, noting that it should be seen as a "proof of concept" and that the technology will not soon become a cure for HIV.
Doctor James Dixon, an associate professor at the University of Nottingham and an expert in stem cells and gene therapy, agrees, warning that more research is needed.
"Much more work is necessary to prove that the results achieved in isolated cells can be achieved in the whole body during future therapy," he says.
"Much more work is needed before this could have an impact on HIV patients."
'Terribly Challenging'
Other scientists are also trying to use Crispr technology to treat HIV.
The Exižn BioTerapeutiks company says that after 48 weeks of testing three volunteers infected with HIV, there were no serious side effects.
But removing HIV from all the cells where it has settled in the body can be "terribly challenging," says Dr. Jonathan Stoy, a virus expert at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
"Side effects of treatment, as well as possible long-term side effects, are still a concern," he points out.
"It therefore appears that it will be many years before treatment methods based on Crisp technology become routine - even assuming they prove successful," he adds.
HIV infects and attacks the immune cell system, using them to multiply.
Even with effective therapies, in some people the virus goes into a dormant state - so they still have HIV DNA or genetic material, even if no new cells are actively being produced.
Most people with HIV must take antiretroviral therapy for life.
If they stop taking it, the dormant virus can reawaken and cause new problems.
There are only rare and few examples of purported cures, in which aggressive anti-cancer therapy has removed some of the infected cells, but this is not the recommended way to treat HIV.
Follow us on Facebook,Twitter i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
