gene therapy and HIV - info via andrew sullivan

We found out a long time ago that a genetic variation in some people - more common in Europeans than Africans - made their CD4 cells resistant to HIV. The gene variation is known as CCR5. Now there's a long-awaited breakthrough in altering non-resistant CD4 cells to mimic CCR5's anti-HIV qualities. It's still in early development and might not pan out in practice - but gene therapy may well be the closest we get to a silver bullet against this disease. And it's nearer than some imagine. Video here.