3rd-ever person declared cured of HIV following stem cell treatment
Global News
The man was declared cured of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after his bone marrow cells were replaced with HIV-resistant stem cells from a donor.
A 53-year-old man in Germany is the third-ever person to be officially cured of HIV, according to a newly published scientific study.
The man, identified only as “the Düsseldorf Patient,” was declared cured of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after his bone marrow cells were replaced with HIV-resistant stem cells from a donor.
The HIV patient, also diagnosed with leukemia, received the stem cell transplant in February 2013, as per a study published on Monday in the scientific journal Nature. The journal claimed the Düsseldorf Patient is the third person to ever be cured of HIV.
The patient was monitored in the years after the stem cell procedure and continued to undergo antiretroviral therapy (ART), a common treatment for HIV that suppresses the virus to undetectable levels and prevents transmission to others.
In 2018, doctors halted the patient’s ART. Even without the treatment, researchers say the Düsseldorf Patient has remained HIV-free for four years now.
The successful treatment of this HIV patient was originally announced at a conference in 2019, though doctors could not say at the time whether the patient was cured or in remission.
For most people diagnosed with HIV, the infection is not curable, though it is possible to live a long and healthy life with proper treatment. If left untreated, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is potentially life-threatening.
Stem cell transplants are not available to most HIV patients, as they are incredibly high-risk procedures.
