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First man ‘functionally cured’ of HIV
http://beta.news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/first-man-functionally-cured-hiv-214038940.html
Since HIV was discovered 30 years ago this week, 30 million people have died from the disease, and it continues to spread at the rate of 7,000 people per day globally, the UN says.
There's not much good news when it comes to this devastating virus. But that is perhaps why the story of the man scientists call the "Berlin patient" is so remarkable and has generated so much excitement among the HIV advocacy community.
Timothy Ray Brown suffered from both leukemia and HIV when he received a bone marrow stem cell transplant in Berlin, Germany in 2007. The transplant came from a man who was immune to HIV, which scientists say about 1 percent of Caucasians are. (According to San Francisco's CBS affiliate, the trait may be passed down from ancestors who became immune to the plague centuries ago. This Wired story says it was more likely passed down from people who became immune to a smallpox-like disease.)
What happened next has stunned the dozens of scientists who are closely monitoring Brown: His HIV went away.
"He has no replicating virus and he isn't taking any medication. And he will now probably never have any problems with HIV," his doctor Gero Huetter told Reuters. Brown now lives in the Bay Area, and suffers from some mild neurological difficulties after the operation. "It makes me very happy," he says of the incredible cure.
The development of anti-retroviral drugs in the 1990s was the first sign of hope in the epidemic, transforming the disease from a sudden killer to a more manageable illness that could be lived with for decades. But still, the miraculous cocktail of drugs is expensive, costing $13 billion a year in developing countries alone, according to Reuters. That figure is expected to triple in 20 years--raising the worry that more sick people will not be able to afford treatment.
Although Brown's story is remarkable, scientists were quick to point out that bone marrow transplants can be fatal, and there's no way Brown's treatment could be applied to the 33.3 million people around the world living with HIV. The discovery does encourage "cure research," according to Dr. Jay Levy, who co-discovered HIV thirty years ago, something that many people did not even think was possible years ago.
You can watch Brown talk about his cure by clicking the link before...
Since HIV was discovered 30 years ago this week, 30 million people have died from the disease, and it continues to spread at the rate of 7,000 people per day globally, the UN says.
There's not much good news when it comes to this devastating virus. But that is perhaps why the story of the man scientists call the "Berlin patient" is so remarkable and has generated so much excitement among the HIV advocacy community.
Timothy Ray Brown suffered from both leukemia and HIV when he received a bone marrow stem cell transplant in Berlin, Germany in 2007. The transplant came from a man who was immune to HIV, which scientists say about 1 percent of Caucasians are. (According to San Francisco's CBS affiliate, the trait may be passed down from ancestors who became immune to the plague centuries ago. This Wired story says it was more likely passed down from people who became immune to a smallpox-like disease.)
What happened next has stunned the dozens of scientists who are closely monitoring Brown: His HIV went away.
"He has no replicating virus and he isn't taking any medication. And he will now probably never have any problems with HIV," his doctor Gero Huetter told Reuters. Brown now lives in the Bay Area, and suffers from some mild neurological difficulties after the operation. "It makes me very happy," he says of the incredible cure.
The development of anti-retroviral drugs in the 1990s was the first sign of hope in the epidemic, transforming the disease from a sudden killer to a more manageable illness that could be lived with for decades. But still, the miraculous cocktail of drugs is expensive, costing $13 billion a year in developing countries alone, according to Reuters. That figure is expected to triple in 20 years--raising the worry that more sick people will not be able to afford treatment.
Although Brown's story is remarkable, scientists were quick to point out that bone marrow transplants can be fatal, and there's no way Brown's treatment could be applied to the 33.3 million people around the world living with HIV. The discovery does encourage "cure research," according to Dr. Jay Levy, who co-discovered HIV thirty years ago, something that many people did not even think was possible years ago.
You can watch Brown talk about his cure by clicking the link before...
Yes well it does have cases supporting it of people who are genetically immune to HIV:
"Scientists said Brown received stem cells from a donor who was immune to HIV. In fact, about one percent of Caucasians are immune to HIV. Some researchers think the immunity gene goes back to the Great Plague: people who survived the plague passed their immunity down and their heirs have it today."
This has been known in science for a while. The important question is to find exactly how and why their genes are resistant and then use that to develop further treatments or vaccines.
But I would agree it is tentative:
"Both doctors stressed that Brown’s radical procedure may not be applicable to many other people with HIV, because of the difficulty in doing stem cell transplants, and finding the right donor.
“You don’t want to go out and get a bone marrow transplant because transplants themselves carry a real risk of mortality,” Volberding said.
He explained that scientists also still have many unanswered questions involving the success of Brown’s treatment."
However as I have been informed being a first responder to some treatments (for my psychiatric and neurological disabilities) it is a clinical "finding" that is a first result (although tentative) that can then be used to potentially find further treatments and given the mortality rate of HIV and its impact on society any potential breakthrough that can be confirmed within science is crucial.
"Scientists said Brown received stem cells from a donor who was immune to HIV. In fact, about one percent of Caucasians are immune to HIV. Some researchers think the immunity gene goes back to the Great Plague: people who survived the plague passed their immunity down and their heirs have it today."
This has been known in science for a while. The important question is to find exactly how and why their genes are resistant and then use that to develop further treatments or vaccines.
But I would agree it is tentative:
"Both doctors stressed that Brown’s radical procedure may not be applicable to many other people with HIV, because of the difficulty in doing stem cell transplants, and finding the right donor.
“You don’t want to go out and get a bone marrow transplant because transplants themselves carry a real risk of mortality,” Volberding said.
He explained that scientists also still have many unanswered questions involving the success of Brown’s treatment."
However as I have been informed being a first responder to some treatments (for my psychiatric and neurological disabilities) it is a clinical "finding" that is a first result (although tentative) that can then be used to potentially find further treatments and given the mortality rate of HIV and its impact on society any potential breakthrough that can be confirmed within science is crucial.
@ caregiver....Ok valid point! BUT why not try and give some credit?..Isn't that One GIANT leap for man considering the battle we've been at with this horrible virus??? He is "cured". If it were anecdotal wouldn't he still have to continue taking some sort of medication? (real question, not rhetorical) I'm not being sarcastic or trying to be rude to you, I'm just saying your post is just a lil bit of a downer...I posted this as a more of an optimistic and positive post...But then again, "to each his own"....
@ teko, I'm so sorry to hear about ur son....I agree with u. With more study, hopefully someday it will lead to more and more lives being saved:)
@ teko, I'm so sorry to hear about ur son....I agree with u. With more study, hopefully someday it will lead to more and more lives being saved:)
I think this is truly amazing and with more study, who knows? It didnt happen in time to save my son, but hopefully someday will lead to saving someone elses.
We have a single patient and a single physician making these statements.
For the present, the entire "cure" story should be termed anecdotal.
The exact cause of HIV syndromes have not been positively identified, and there is no evidence that this man is not capable of transmitting the disease to others.
For the present, the entire "cure" story should be termed anecdotal.
The exact cause of HIV syndromes have not been positively identified, and there is no evidence that this man is not capable of transmitting the disease to others.
Truly amazing....
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