Stem cell transplant cures HIV

[Plain Talker]

Unfortunately hope of similar treatment may be a false hope.

 

The patient was cured when he was having treatment for his leukaemia. He was irradiated to kill off his immune system, he then received a bone marrow transplant from a patient who had a genetic immunity to HIV. About 1 in 100 Caucasian Europeans have this gene. It was then found that both his leukaemia and HIV had been cured.

 

The problem is, the bone marrow transplant operation carries a 5% mortality rate and as such it is a risky operation that is only carried out when someone's life is under threat. With modern treatment people with HIV can expect to life a long life approaching normal life expectancy if they stay compliant on their treatment.

 

So it is questionable if this treatment will be offered to people. It is however good news that more is being found out in the treatment and potential cure of this disease.

 

(My bold) When I heard the patient had been treated for leukaemia, that's pretty much what I suspected may have happened.

 

There was a piece on tonight's ITN news about the little girl who has been "cured" of blindness using this technique.

 

The little girl, Izabelle has the same condition as Harvey Price ("Jordan's" oldest Son) Septo-optic dysplasia. Her parents took her to China for the controversial treatment. They believe she has some sight, now. (didn't Jordan have something similar happen, with Harvey, but without the Stem-cell treatment? I seem to remember her announcing when he was a similar age to this little girl, that he had some small amount of sight. (which makes me wonder if there was some similar event for both children that maybe some neural pathways had connected, somehow?)

[evildrneil]

While this is certainly good news I wouldn't get too excited straight away. The transplant process is extremely savage and has common graft-versus-host-disease side effects. I wonder what the difference in life quality and quality would be between anti-retroviral therapy and transplant.

[KTHFB]

There is this story in The Metro today, which I think maybe the same story as above. I really do hope this is a step forward, it gives hope if nothing else.

[Jennie80]

Would it mean that the treated person was now effectively immune from HIV but could still carry the virus in his body?

 

The 'Berlin patient' as he is known still carries HIV anti-bodies but has an non-detectable viral load. The claim that he is 'cured' may be a little misleading as there is nothing to say that the virus won't 'spring back' into action some years down the line (although unlikely). But it's certainly a breakthrough development and will lead scientists down a different path for research.

 

I still think there's a cure out there but the drug companies are making billions from the medication - I think there's a big conspiracy through them and the US government to not reveal the 'cure'.