HIV patient appears cured after stem cell transplant
CBSN
A man with HIV is now virus-free after receiving a stem cell transplant, making him one of only a handful of people to be considered cured after the treatment. The HIV patient in Düsseldorf, Germany also had cancer and received a bone marrow transplant which replaced his cells with a donor's HIV-resistant stem cells, according to a newly published study.
After being diagnosed with leukemia, the 53-year-old man, known as the "Düsseldorf Patient," received a stem cell transplant in 2013. His stem cell donor had a mutation, which prevents the protein used by HIV to enter cells.
He had been receiving antiretroviral therapy, or ART, which is commonly given to HIV patients to make the virus nearly undetectable. It can also prevent the patient from transmitting the virus to others.
