It is estimated that 75 million people have diagnosed HIV ever since it was first discovered in the 1980s. Timothy Ray Brown is the only person who has been cured of HIV. He is referred to as the Berlin patient.
A second person, who has received a treatment that is similar to the one Timothy received, may have been cured of HIV. Both of the patients received blood cancers from stem cells transplants. They received the transplants from donors that had mutations in the CCR5. This is a receptor in the white blood cells that HIV needs in order to establish an infection.
The reason that the transplants may have been effective for getting rid of HIV is because they helped kill of toxic cells. Timothy’s body was completely eradicated of HIV. The donor cells saw the HIV cells as foreign tissue. As a result of this, the donor cells killed off the HIV cells.
A doctor discussed the second patient’s prognosis at a AIDS conference in Seattle. The doctor stated that the man has not had to take his Anti-HIV drugs for 18 months. He also stated that the man does not have any of the virus in his blood. The man did not want his name released to the public.
Researchers stated that even though this patient’s results seem promising, they are still being cautious. They stated that the man is in long-term remission, but that does not mean that he has been completely cured of the virus yet. It is also important to note that only a small percentage of patients with HIV will benefit from this treatment.
There are 37 million people in the world who are living with HIV. The researchers hope that the results of this study will spur new research that will help experts develop new treatments for HIV.
