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In a provocative first step toward an elusive end to a devastating disease that has claimed 40 million lives, three patients have received CRISPR gene-editing therapies in an effort to eradicate HIV from their bodies.

The results — whether the men are cured or not after the one-time intravenous infusions this year — have not yet been disclosed by the San Francisco biotech company that created the technology based on Nobel Prize-winning research by UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna.

But the potential treatment, called EBT-101, is safe and caused no major side effects, Excision BioTherapeutics reported at a meeting in Brussels.

Six more men will be treated, perhaps some at UC San Francisco, with higher doses. Participating in the research program is potentially risky: Participants stop their protective anti-HIV drugs for 12 weeks after gene-editing treatment to see if the virus is gone. Data will be presented at a medical conference next year, according to the company.

“We are opening the door for how this new drug will work and what potential it has for people living with HIV,” said Dr. William Kennedy, Excision senior vice president of clinical development. “Ultimately, we see this as a fundamentally new approach.” read more

By Phillip Molnar | The San Diego-Union-Tribune

General Motors, Ford and Tesla have all warned of an electric vehicle slowdown because they say demand might drop.

Auto makers mainly say higher borrowing costs are the issue but some car dealerships say EVs are sitting longer than regular cars. They say consumers are concerned about the range of EVs and lack of infrastructure.

In a Cox Automotive survey, 53 percent of consumers said EVs will eventually replace internal combustion engines, but less than a third of dealers agreed. Several dealerships interviewed by CNBC said EVs were taking longer to sell and there was a supply and demand imbalance with the vehicles.

Ford said two weeks ago it would increase production on its hybrid F-150 pickup trucks because of waning demand for its all electric model.

EV advocates insist the demand is still there, but consumers are only temporarily shying away because of high interest rates that make EVs — typically more expensive than your average car — more difficult to purchase. read more

Walt Disney World visitors were evacuated from the monorail between Epcot and the resort’s Transportation and Ticket Center on Tuesday morning.

“This morning, the monorail experienced a flat tire near the Epcot parking lot toll plaza. No guests or cast members have reported injuries, and all passengers were safely evacuated,” according to an official Disney statement distributed to the media.

Photographs posted online show emergency vehicles and workers positioned beneath the rail and the halted yellow-striped train that was en route to Epcot.

An evacuated passenger told Fox 35 News that he had smelled burning rubber, heard a loud bang and saw a flash of light before the monorail stalled.

The monorail system has been a staple of Disney World since opening in 1971 when it connected the TTC with Magic Kingdom and resorts around the Seven Seas Lagoon. It expanded to include Epcot when the theme park debuted in 1982.  The areas are also accessible by Disney World buses.

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com read more