A 66-year-old man, living in California, USA, was completely cured of HIV/AIDS thanks to stem cell transplant therapy (stem cell transplantation).
It is known that doctors and medical professionals presented data on this particular case before the meeting of the International AIDS Society (IAS) 2022.
Stem cells are obtained from a special donor who is naturally resistant to viruses. Timothy Ray Brown, the world’s first person to be cured of HIV, also known as the “Berlin patient”, was also treated with this method.
The 66-year-old man is the latest patient and also the fourth and oldest person to be cured of HIV/AIDS. He tested positive for HIV in 1988. He said he was “sentenced to death”.
After that, he maintained antiretroviral therapy (ARV) to control his condition and life for more than 30 years.
After a stem cell transplant three years ago and a period of chemotherapy, the patient stopped antiretroviral therapy in March 2021. He has now had relief from symptoms of HIV and leukemia for over a year.
Experts say the patient’s case is a testament to the possibility of definitive treatment for older people with HIV infection and blood cancer. Especially when the stem cell donor is not a member of the victim’s family (not related by blood).
Previously, the world had recorded 3 patients being cured of HIV
- The first was “Berlin Patient” Timothy Ray Brown. Timothy Ray Brown has completely cleared the virus from his body for 12 years. In 2020, he died of cancer.
- The second patient is Adam Castillejo, confirmed to have recovered from HIV/AIDS in 2019. Both received bone marrow transplants from donors carrying a mutated gene that prevents HIV infection.
- The third person is a woman, who recovered from HIV by transplanting stem cells from the umbilical cord blood of a donor.
