A 42-year-old HIV+ man appears to have been cured thanks to a stem cell transplant in Germany. The cutting-edge procedure took place 2 years ago and now the man's blood has no trace of the virus.
The purpose of the stem cell transplant was actually to combat the man's leukemia, but doctors specifically chose a donor who had a gene mutation that offers resistance to the virus, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
This gene mutation is quite rare. CNN reports, “It is known as CCR5 delta32 and is found in 1 percent to 3 percent of white populations of European descent.
HIV uses the CCR5 as a co-receptor (in addition to CD4 receptors) to latch on to and ultimately destroy immune system cells. Since the virus can't gain a foothold on cells that lack CCR5, people who have the mutation have natural protection. (There are other, less common HIV strains that use different co-receptors.)”
This is an exhilarating breakthrough but medical experts caution that it’s hardly a panacea. Stem cell transplants are still rare and very risky. Dr. Jay Levy, a professor at the University of California San Francisco, says that one third of patients who have this procedure die on the operating table.
Levy adds that while there’s no detectable HIV in the man’s blood, it doesn’t necessarily mean the virus has been eradicated from his body. It could be “hiding out” in other cells.
– Wilbur
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that is why i believe that america should do more stem cell researching. but whats funny is i was talking with so coworkers about the black plague and how that there was a small percentile of people that were immune to it and that maybe, just maybe, the descendants of those people are the people who might be immune to the HIV virus. i dont know it was a thought but there is reports on other types of stuff like that so ive heard.
ccr5 Delta 32 was discussed a number of years ago on an episode of “Secrets of the Dead”. It was found in half and pairs in the decendents of “plague” survivors from the 14th century…
I saw a PBS special on the plague/hiv connection….maybe that is the show you are referring to. am amazed how little attention is paid to it, at least in this country
I don’t believe he’s cured more like just undetectable.
“there’s no detectable HIV in the man’s blood, it doesn’t necessarily mean the virus has been eradicated from his body. It could be “hiding out” in other cells.”
you know, there’s tons and tons of various illnesses out there which aren’t curable so much as your body develops antibodies and becomes immune to it’s effects.
mono being a famous one.
And once again, the gay community goes looking for any excuse to engage in unsafe sex. I notice none of the commenters here even seem to have taken note of the fact that the resistance (and it’s RESISTANCE, not immunity, you can still be a carrier) offered by this particular mutation does not combat all strains of HIV. At least this article is complete enough to include that…
We’ve known about retroviruses for nearly a century now, and have not come any closer to a vaccine or cure. Face it guys, the cure for HIV is already here… it’s called WEAR A DAMN CONDOM!
I think that any hope we can garner from this is wonderful. Although there may not be cure in my life time I am hopeful that one day it will happen. As a man who is facing an uncertain future because he is HIV positive I am for any and all research that needs to and is being done. Although many ppl hate (me included) Bush I can honestly say one thing that he did that may go unnoticed is beef up funding for AIDS research.
The gay community myself included went into a denial period because we thought nothing can harm us and if it does we can now lead productive, long and healthy lives and that is not the case. I am scared everyday because I don’t know what this disease is going to do to me. I pray that it does not kill me but being there from the beginning of the AIDS epidemic until now I do have to say it is better than it was.
That is my two cents…Mainly what I wanted to say is that it is hope and in these times hope is a good thing…
Angry WEAR A DAMN CONDOM guy is right, condoms protect people from dozens of STDs, not to mention unwanted pregnancies, and wearing gloves and face masks would protect us from dozens perhaps hundreds more infections/illnesses. But not all of them. Where do you draw the line between life and safety? The immune system needs to be challenged to work. That is why antibiotic overuse/soaps/etc are a huge concern. Understanding how the immune system works (or doesn’t) is crucial for more research for all diseases. That is what this about.
I am a 23yo guy who resently found out I have HIV. Since then I have been though so many ups and downs with this virus, I do what I can to stay healthy, but I know, it isn’t really enough. This is gives me hope personally for myself, not to mention the millions of men, women, and children who are affected by this horrible virus. I do personally belive, that within my life, I will see an end to HIV, I firmly belive that there will come a time when a vaccination is given to childen like a boosted shot and that those of us who are living with this illness, can find hope in a new form of treatment and hopefully a cure.
If this is the final treatment for AIDS I am for it. ANYTHING is better than being looked down upon for being positive. As a 27 year old who was infect at age 22, it gives me hope that I will live a long productive life free from the stress that is placed upon me by gay men who think they are above me because they are negative. If I have to get stem cells injected into my bone marrow then so be it. Its pretty sad when people don’t wish to get to know you as a person because you are Positive. Just once I want to be looked at as a “normal” gay human male.. not someone who is disease ridden. I wish nothing more than to be free again. It would be like a second chance at life.
That is very sad Lynn, and I HATE when gay men act like that toward + guys, it’s awful. Gay people seem to lose their bond more and more every year. some gays are so damn stupid, like the ones that ‘hate’ lesbians, hello? We’re all in this together +-, gay lesbian trans, white black latino, i wish more people would realize this instead of all these ‘cliques’ inside the gay community. gay men need to grow up and stop acting like high school girls
This is an awesome breakthrough. After the failure of KP-1461 and reasonable (but expensive) results of gene therapy directly CD4+ cells, i was starting to lose hope that a cure was possible. Stem cell therapy appears to be that cure now. If you can modify the proper genes in stem cells such that their daughter cells contain the resistance mechanism, that could spell the end of HIV. I am hopeful.. i’m hiv-negative, but i have positive friends and i want to see them free of this horrible virus.
As promising as this sounds (and any advancement that leads to a cure is welcome), don’t think that stem cell transplants are simply a matter of getting a significant shot in your bone marrow. This type of treatment is a prohibitively expensive, not to mention high-risk procedure. Check out “complications” under the wikipedia entry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_transplant