SCIENTISTS are one step closer to a cure for HIV after eliminating the infection in mice for the first time.

The Holy Grail of a cure is elusive because the virus can hide in parts of the body, remaining dormant.

2 Scientists believe they have eliminated HIV from mice, for the first time raising hopes of a cure Credit: Getty Images

But new gene therapy, known as CRISPR/Cas9, has shown promise, allowing researchers to "cut out" HIV DNA from mice cells.

The findings are the first to show it is possible to stop the virus replicating in the body, and eliminate it from animal cells altogether.

The team from Temple University in Philadephia and the University of Pittsburgh performed the feat in three different animal models.

One was a "humanised" model, where mice were transplanted with human immune cells and infected with the virus.

Dr Wenhui Hu, who led the research, said: "We confirmed the data from our previous work and have improved the efficiency of our gene editing strategy.

"We also show that the strategy is effective in two additional mouse models, one representing acute infection in mouse cells and the other representing chronic, or latent, infection in human cells."

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The new findings show the team were able to reduce replication of HIV DNA by between 60 and 95 per cent.

Dr Kamel Khalili explained: "During acute infection, HIV actively replicates.

"With EcoHIV (the mouse equivalent), we were able to investigate the ability of the CRISPR/Cas9 strategy to block viral replication and potentially prevent systemic infection."

2 The new study, in mice, raises hopes of further trials in primates and then human patients Credit: Getty Images

The new study marks another major step forward in the pursuit of a permanent cure for HIV infection, the researchers said.

"The next stage would be to repeat the study in primates, a more suitable animal model where HIV infection induces disease, in order to further demonstrate elimination of HIV-1 DNA in latently infected T-cells and other sanctuary sites for HIV-1 including brain cells," Dr Khalili added.

"Our eventual goal is a clinical trial in human patients."

The new findings are published in the journal Molecular Therapy.