A 53-year-old man from Düsseldorf, Germany, became the third patient in the world to be cured of HIV after a stem cell transplant. The case was reported in the scientific journal Nature last Monday. The unidentified man was followed for ten years by a team of researchers from the University of Düsseldorf.
An unidentified man was followed for ten years by a team of researchers from the University of Düsseldorf
After the operation, the patient from Düsseldorf underwent chemotherapy and received an infusion of lymphocytes, immune cells that destroy cancer cells. In addition, he continued to treat the disease with antiretroviral therapy. Six years after the transplant, in 2018, the virus was no longer detectable in his body, forcing him to stop taking his daily pills.
For the next four years, he remained under the supervision of a team of doctors and researchers from the University of Düsseldorf, who concluded that the patient was in remission from AIDS. In analyzes over time, the scientists found no trace of viral particles, viral reserves, or immune response against the virus.
Despite the good news, less than 1% of the world’s population benefits from an HIV-protective genetic mutation, as few stem cell donors have it. And while cases like this offer more hope of finding a cure for AIDS, stem cell transplantation is a risky treatment that is not appropriate for the situation of most people with the virus.
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