HIV stem cell transplantation patient in remission, could lead to a cure

HIV treatment: A second patient with HIV went into remission from HIV which could help find a cure for all HV patients one day. The BBC noted that an unnamed man from London suffered from a double whammy being "diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012." Now, following HIV stem cell transplantation and chemotherapy, he's been in remission for 18 months.

AP noted that the treatment may not be for everyone, but could lead to an eventual cure.

HIV treatment donors hard to find

Not everyone is able to access the new approach to treatment that effectively "kills" the HIV. In their YouTube report, AP showed there are some drawbacks as finding suitable donors is not easy. Ravindra Gupta of University College London, says that he feels "confident" this patient will experience a "long-term remission." However, "it's too early to say whether this is a cure or not."

Another issue involves finding donors. Actually, the stem cells need to come from a donor that is HIV resistant.

As Gupta explained, they need to find a "donor who is tissue-matched. Plus, that person needs to have two copies of the CCR5 Gene. Unfortunately, the improbability of that rule out most patients benefitting from it.

Stem cell treatment is arduous

The stem cell transplant is arduous, Gupta noted. Additionally, patients stay in the hospital for weeks enduring an uncomfortable process. While this treatment is arduous, most people infected by HIV would probably jump at the chance for a possible cure. The way to a cure is paved with many pitfalls, but this HIV remission brings hope as it's the second one.

Timothy Ray Brown also went through similar treatment, the BBC reported. "Said to be the first person to 'beat' HIV/AIDS," Brown received "two transplants and total body irradiation (radiotherapy) for leukaemia." Ravindra Gupta noted that the second remission means that Brown was not just a one-off.

In science and medicine, it's very important to have a treatment succeed more than once. That's what makes the new successful remission so important.

Remission is not a cure

Sadly, as many cancer patients know only too well, remission is not necessarily a cure. However, the fact that two people apparently got over HIV, means the future looks a lot brighter for HIV sufferers. Meanwhile, in the USA, researchers gather at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. FredHutchOrg noted that the purpose is for researchers to "strategize to block new HIV infections, and work toward a cure."