Fred Hutch’s Keith Jerome on the road to a herpes cure

The short versionThe Fred Hutch gene therapy is the only approach in today’s pipeline built to eliminate HSV rather than suppress it. It has strong animal data and is preparing for its first human trial.

Dr. Keith Jerome, who leads Fred Hutch’s effort to cure herpes with gene editing, joined the Oncology Insights podcast with Dr. Petros Grivas to discuss herpes research, cure efforts and the future of virology. If you haven’t followed this program, here is what you need to know before you listen.

The idea in one paragraph

Jerome and staff scientist Martine Aubert, PhD, are developing an injection of hollowed-out laboratory viruses that carry two gene-editing enzymes into nerve cells. The enzymes work like molecular scissors, damaging the herpes virus’s DNA so badly it can’t recover. The goal is to move from controlling HSV to curing it.

What the animal studies show

90%+of latent HSV removed from facial nerve clusters in mice (2020)

97%less latent virus in nerves near the genital tract in mice

50%lower severity of recurrences in guinea pigs

Guinea pigs matter because, unlike mice, they have naturally recurring outbreaks, much like people. In that model the therapy reduced latent virus by over 30% and led to fewer recurrences.

Getting ready for people

Expanded guinea-pig testing with the US National Institutes of Health, to confirm results in an independent lab.
A genetic tweak that targets the therapy to neurons, which removed side effects seen at very high doses.
Injecting into the fluid around nerves instead of the bloodstream, cutting the dose needed five-fold and lowering potential cost.

Why it matters

Every other candidate in the pipeline aims to suppress HSV. This one aims to remove it. It also has the longest road ahead: no person has received it yet, and a first trial will focus on safety.

Sources

This is an independent summary for a general audience, not medical advice.