The fourth patient seemingly cured of HIV

The fourth patient seemingly cured of HIV: According to the experts, a man who has been living with HIV since the 1980s appears to have been cured in only the fourth such case.

He received a transplant of bone marrow from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus in order to treat his form of leukemia, which is a blood cancer.

The HIV medicine for the 66-year-old patient, who does not wish to reveal their identity, has been discontinued.

He expressed his gratitude by saying that he was “beyond grateful” that the infection had been eliminated from his body.

The individual is referred to as the “City of Hope patient” after the medical facility in Duarte, California, where he received treatment.

In an era before antiretroviral drugs could give people a life expectancy that was nearly normal, a great number of his acquaintances passed away as a result of HIV.

“I had no idea that I would live to see this day.”

The human immunodeficiency virus (also known as HIV) causes harm to the immune system of the body. This can result in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (often known as AIDS), which makes it difficult for the body to ward off infection.

The man said the following in a statement: “When I was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, like many others, I felt it was a death sentence. I was wrong.”

“I never believed I would live to see the day that I no longer had HIV,” she said. “I never thought I would no longer have HIV.”

However, he was treated with the medication not for his HIV because he had developed leukemia at the age of 63. This was the reason he received treatment.

Because of the man’s malignant blood cells, the man’s medical staff came to the conclusion that he required a bone marrow transplant. It just so happened that the donor had a natural immunity to HIV.

The virus infects our body’s white blood cells by exploiting a protein called CCR5 as a gateway, which is like a miniature doorway.

On the other hand, some individuals, including the donor, have CCR5 mutations that lock the door and prevent HIV from entering the body.

There is still no “Holy Grail” for a cure.

After undergoing the transplant at the City of Hope, the patient was subjected to stringent monitoring, and it was determined that the levels of HIV present in his body had become undetectable.

His illness has been in remission for almost 17 months at this point.

“We were thrilled to let him know that his HIV is in remission and that he no longer needs to take antiretroviral therapy that he had been on for over 30 years,” said Dr. Jana Dickter, an infectious diseases doctor at the City of Hope. “We were thrilled to let him know that his HIV is in remission and that he no longer needs to take antiretroviral therapy.”

Timothy Ray Brown also referred to as the Berlin Patient, made history in 2011 by being the first person in the world to be cured of HIV. This event was the first of its kind to take place.

In the previous three years, there have been three incidents that are very similar to this one.

The patient at the City of Hope is both the patient who has been living with HIV for the longest amount of time and the patient who is the oldest patient to be treated in this manner.

Bone marrow transplants, on the other hand, will not usher in a new era of HIV treatment for the 38 million individuals around the world who are currently living with the virus.

Dr. Dickter informed me that it is a difficult procedure that carries a substantial risk of adverse effects. Therefore, it is not truly a choice that is suited for the majority of people who are living with HIV.

Gene therapy is being investigated as a possible treatment option by researchers; specifically, they are looking into ways to target the CCR5 entryway.

At the AIDS 2022 conference, which took place in Montreal, Canada, the case was discussed.

In response to the findings, Professor Sharon Lewin, who will succeed Dr. Peter Hotez as President of the International AIDS Society, stated that “a cure remains the Holy Grail of HIV research.”

She stated that there have been “a number of individual cure cases in the past,” and that these examples provided “continuing hope for those living with HIV, as well as inspiration for the scientific community.”