News outlets report on a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine showing gene therapy for HIV infection is safe and possibly effective.

Associated Press: Gene therapy seems safe, may help control HIV
“Scientists have modified genes in the blood cells of HIV patients to help them resist the AIDS virus, and say the treatment seems safe and promising. The results give hope that this approach might one day free at least some people from needing medicines to keep HIV under control, a form of cure…” (Marchione, 3/5).

New York Times: Study Gives Hope of Altering Genes to Repel HIV
“The idea of genetically altering people’s cells to make them resist the virus that causes AIDS may seem like a pipe dream, but a new report suggests it can be done. The research involves the first use in humans of ‘gene editing,’ a treatment that zeros in on a particular gene and disables it…” (Grady, 3/5).

Reuters: Gene therapy may offer ‘functional’ cure for HIV
“A strategy to genetically modify cells from people infected with HIV could become a way to control the virus that causes AIDS without using antiviral drugs, according to results from an early-stage trial that were published on Wednesday…” (Beasley, 3/5).