HIV Stem Cell Treatment Likely Cures 7th Person In History Of Virus, Doctors Say

Published 2 months ago
By Forbes | Ty Roush
Female Scientist in Lab
(Getty Images)

TOPLINE

A German man appears to have been cured of HIV after he received a first-of-its-kind stem cell transplant procedure nearly a decade ago, according to findings announced Thursday, as researchers say he is probably the seventh person worldwide to be cured of the virus affecting tens of millions of people globally.

KEY FACTS

The German man—referred to as the “next Berlin patient,” after the first person cured of HIV—stopped taking antiretroviral treatment for HIV in late 2018 after receiving a stem cell transplant for leukemia in 2015, researchers announced ahead of the International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, adding he was still in HIV remission.

This appears to be the first case in which HIV is cured in a patient whose stem cell donor had a single HIV-resistant mutation, rather than two, which physician Christian Gaebler said could have “promising implications” for future cure strategies.

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HIV can still be spread to people with the mutation, which removes a protein the virus uses to enter blood cells, Gaebler said, though the virus progresses slowly if they don’t receive antiretroviral treatment.

The case suggests “we can broaden the donor pool” for other similar cases, Sharon Lewis, president of the International AIDS Society, said.

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SURPRISING FACT

In 2009, Timothy Ray Brown, referred to as the “Berlin patient,” was the first person researchers said appeared to be cured of HIV. Ten years later, the “London patient” appeared to be cured, followed by “The City of Hope” and “New York” patients in 2022. Two people, the “Geneva patient” and the “Düsseldorf patient” appeared to be cured last year. All six underwent stem cell transplants to treat blood cancer, while the first five received an HIV-resistant mutation from their donor.

BIG NUMBER

39 million. That’s the estimated number of people across the world who are living with HIV as of the end of 2022, the World Health Organization said. About 630,000 people died of HIV-related illnesses worldwide that year, according to the organization.

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KEY BACKGROUND

There is no effective cure for human immunodeficiency virus, a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent years, researchers have studied whether stem cell transplants could be used as treatment, with doctors using anti-HIV genes or mutations to combat the virus. If not treated, the virus can result in AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the agency noted, adding, “Once people get HIV, they have it for life.” The virus is often detected through symptoms that resemble flu-like symptoms within two to four weeks after infection, though diagnosis is only possible through testing.

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