Breakthrough in HIV Cure: German Man Likely Cured After Unique Stem Cell Transplant

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Scientists have announced that a German man has likely been cured of HIV following a unique stem cell transplant. This significant achievement was revealed ahead of the International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, and marks the first instance of such a cure in medical history.

 

The 60-year-old man has become only the seventh person to be considered cured of HIV, a virus that affects approximately 39 million people globally, including around 1.2 million in the United States. What makes this case particularly extraordinary is that the man's stem cell donor was not immune to the HIV virus, a detail that HIV expert Christian Gaebler of the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin found "extremely surprising."

 

The patient tested positive for HIV in 2009 and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2015. This diagnosis led a team at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin to administer a stem cell transplant. After the patient ceased antiviral therapy in 2018, his system has remained functional, and no cancer cells have been detected. Professor Olaf Penack, senior physician at the treating clinic, stated, "The virus-free observation period of more than five years now indicates that the HIV virus has actually been completely removed from the patient's body. We therefore consider him to be cured of his HIV infection."

 

Despite this success, Gaebler cautioned that due to the "considerable risks" associated with stem cell transplantation, this procedure is not suitable for all HIV infections. This case is noteworthy as it is the first instance of remission involving a stem cell donor with a single, rather than double, CCR5-delta32 mutation. Previous cases of remission following stem cell transplants involved donors with two copies of the CCR5-delta32 mutation, which impedes HIV's ability to infect cells.

 

Sharon Lewin, president of the International AIDS Society, indicated that this research could broaden the donor pool for such treatments. Lewin, who is also the director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia, explained, "The findings indicate that you don't actually have to get rid of every single piece of CCR5 for gene therapy to work."

 

The exact reasons why the stem cell transplant led to an apparent cure in this instance, while the virus reemerged in other cases, remain unclear. Gaebler suggested that the speed with which the new immune system replaces the old one might play a role. He noted that in the second Berlin patient, the process was completed relatively quickly, in less than 30 days. Gaebler also speculated that the donor's immune system might possess special properties, such as highly active natural killer cells, which could recognize and eliminate even low levels of HIV activity.

 

Gaebler emphasized that understanding the factors contributing to the removal of all HIV hiding places in the second Berlin patient could lead to new treatment concepts, such as cell-based immunotherapies or therapeutic vaccines. The ultimate goal for scientists is to cure HIV infections universally, rather than just individual cases.

 

Credit: AXIOS 2024-07-20

 

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[Purdey]

I heard that stem cell replacement is quite dangerous. Hope it catches on and is cheap.

[john donson]

I think I had an std a few years ago, after my ex came for a surprise visit, lol...

 

a few weeks later I got covid 19 too

 

after the week long fevers and other pains, the STD symptoms were GONE too

 

miracle cure ?  one virus killed another one ?

 

do I get a noble price now ?

 

 

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6 minutes ago, john donson said:

I think I had an std a few years ago, after my ex came for a surprise visit, lol...

 

a few weeks later I got covid 19 too

 

after the week long fevers and other pains, the STD symptoms were GONE too

 

miracle cure ?  one virus killed another one ?

 

do I get a noble price now ?

 

 

Unless that STD you had was HIV, your comment is inane.