Why not change the HIV virus to kill or take over other HIV virus?

Question

Make it simple is, why not genetically change an HIV virus and give it a dominant trait that would take over non-genetically engineer virus. Kind of like how we make fly that can't reproduce.

Answer 1

Since HIV relies on our CD4+ cells (macrophage, T-helper) to propagate any mutations that stray from this function will be selected against.  If we alter the genome of the virus to not recognize the CD4 receptor, then these mutated strands will not survive to pass on their mutated genome.  What we really need focus on is the CCR5 receptor on the macrophage as this is the initial co-receptor the virus needs to bind to macrophages.    

As a side note:

1-2% of the human population has a  homozygous deletion of CCR5 (makes them resistant).  25% of the human population has a heterozygous deletion of CCR5 and these people have a delay of AIDS 2-3 years.

Answer 2

Doesn't work that way.  

HIV must infect a cell to reproduce.  It cannot infect another virus.

Focusing on the CCR5 receptor is a bad idea.  Only one strain of HIV even uses that as a co-receptor, any attempts to use it will simply result in selection for the other types.

A broad spectrum way to kill HIV is needed.

Answer 3

There is a doctor in Nigeria that claims he found a cure by doing something similar. There is no proof backing up what he says though so it could easily be a hoax but supposedly he tested it on thousands of people and a few of them were cured supposedly. Its probably a bunch of lies but who knows.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/...