Scientists say they have succeeded in removing HIV from infected cells using the Nobel Prize-winning Crispr gene-editing technology.

It works like scissors, but at the molecular level, cutting DNA so that "bad" cells can be removed or deactivated.

The hope is to eventually be able to completely eliminate the virus from the body, although much more work is needed to see if it will be safe and effective.

Existing HIV drugs can prevent the virus but not eradicate it.

The team at the University of Amsterdam, presenting a summary of their early results at a medical conference this week, emphasizes that their work remains "proof of concept" only and will not be an HIV cure anytime soon.

And Dr. James Dixon, an assistant professor of stem cell technology and gene therapy at the University of Nottingham, agrees, saying full results still need to be investigated.

"Further work will be needed to demonstrate that the results in these cell experiments can occur in the whole body for future therapies," he said.

"There will be further developments needed before there is an impact on those with HIV."

'Big challenge' Other scientists are also trying to use Crispr against HIV.

And Excision BioTherapeutics says after 48 weeks, three volunteer HIV-positive people have no major side effects.

But Dr. Jonathan Stoye, a virus expert at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said removing HIV from all cells that can harbor it in the body is a "big challenge."

"Unintended effects of treatment, as well as possible long-term effects, remain a concern," he said.

"So it seems likely that many years will pass before such a Crispr therapy becomes commonplace, even if it can be shown to be effective."

Many people with HIV require long-term treatment with antiretroviral drugs. If they stop taking these drugs, dormant viruses can wake up and cause problems again.

A few have been "cured" after aggressive cancer therapy wiped out some of their infected cells, but this alone cannot be recommended as an HIV treatment.