Gene therapy success raises hopes of 'cure' for HIV

Doctors say engineering an HIV patient's own immune cells could eliminate the need for daily antiretroviral drugs

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(Image credit: SIA KAMBOU/AFP/Getty Images)

DOCTORS have used gene therapy to modify the immune systems of 12 patients to help "shield" them from the effects of HIV, the BBC reports.

The new treatment could replace programmes that require HIV patients to take antiretroviral medication every day.

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