HIV Patient Patient Cured According to German Doctors

Doctors in Germany have claimed that they have cured an American patient who was suffering from both leukemia and HIV. If so, this would be the first time anyone has ever been cured of HIV. Though an astounding advancement scientifically, researchers familiar with the work say that this isolated incident would not necessarily lead to an advance in treatment.

TImothy Brown, 42 has been living in Berlin and receiving bone marrow and stem-cell treatment for both his illnesses since 2007. His recovery has ignited strong conversation in the HIV academic community in the United States. Experts however, warn that any general cure or therapy against HIV will still take years of work.

The stem cells given to Brown were received from a donor with a gene mutation that made him naturally resistant to HIV. Twenty months later the HIV had not rebounded but many doctors suspected that the illness was bound to return. However, 3 and a half years later the patient’s cell count remains in the range characteristic of people without HIV. Brown also shows no remaining signs of his leukemia either.

The doctors declared Brown cured in a peer-reviewed article published in this month’s issue of the medical journal, Blood, claiming:

“Our results strongly suggest that [a] cure of HIV has been achieved in this patient,”

The treatment however came with several serious side effects. Brown experienced neurological problems, causing temporary blindness, memory problems, and difficulty with motor functions like speech and coordination.

“Even if somebody doesn’t die from a transplant, there are complications that make it very unpleasant for people to live with” said Dr. Michael Saag, professor of medicine and director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham AIDS Center.

Dr. Margaret Fischl, pioneering AIDS researcher at the University of Miami, claims that this treatment is not applicable for the general population because for the treatment to be successful Brown had to undergo intense chemotherapy to fight his leukemia. This nearly destroying his entire immune system but also made him receptive to the HIV-resistant donor cells.

This treatment does however confirm “that our understanding of HIV biology is correct, and that if you eliminate — not just in theory but in practice — all of the cells in the body that are producing HIV and replace them with uninfected cells, you have a cure,” said Saag.

Identified in the U.S. in 1981 HIV/AIDS was often considered a death sentence. The last significant step towards a cure came in the mid-90’s when anti-retroviral medications were developed to help maintain the disease.

HIV/AIDS is a global epidemic. Currently, about 33 million are living with the virus and there 2.7 new infections every year. In the U.S. alone more than 50,000 cases of HIV are reported each year.