BREAKTHROUGH: First HIV-Positive Man Cured

[TampaYankee]

Stem Cell Transplant Cures HIV In 'Berlin Patient'

The Huffington Post | Carly Schwartz First Posted: 12-14-10 01:04 PM | Updated: 12-14-10 02:00 PM

On the heels of World AIDS Day comes a stunning medical breakthrough: Doctors believe an HIV-positive man who underwent a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure.

Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the "Berlin Patient," received the transplant in 2007 as part of a lengthy treatment course for leukemia. His doctors recently published a report in the journal Blood affirming that the results of extensive testing "strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved."

While Brown is the first person to ever be declared cured of HIV, his case paves a path for constructing a cure for HIV through genetically-engineered stem cells.

Last week, Time named another AIDS-related discovery to its list of the Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2010. Recent studies show that healthy individuals who take antiretrovirals, medicine commonly prescribed for treating HIV, can reduce their risk of contracting the disease by up to 73 percent.

While these developments by no means prove a cure for the virus has been found, they can certainly provide hope for the more than 33 million people living with HIV worldwide. Alongside such findings, global efforts to combat the epidemic have accelerated as of late, with new initiatives emerging in the Philippines and South Africa this week.

See original article at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/hiv-cure-berlin-patient_n_796521.html

[Guest FourAces]

I read this on another site earlier today. Seems to be promising but I am guessing many more need to go through the process to find out if its an actual cure. Sadly I have not seen much about it in mainstream media.

[MsGuy]

"Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called it impractical. "It's hard enough to get a good compatible match for a transplant like this," he said in a statement. "But you also have to find (a) compatible donor that has this genetic defect, and this defect is only found in 1% of the Caucasian population and 0% of the black population. This is very rare."

Further,

"The treatment associated with wiping out the immune system "is very hazardous," he said in a telephone interview.

"Even if somebody doesn't die from a transplant, there are complications that make it very unpleasant for people to live with," he said, citing graft-versus-host disease, where the infused donor cells attack the body. In a number of cases, the transplant proves fatal."

Full article

[Guest zipperzone]

I read this on another site earlier today. Seems to be promising but I am guessing many more need to go through the process to find out if its an actual cure. Sadly I have not seen much about it in mainstream media.

Promising perhaps but why do I think it will prove to be cost prohibitive?

[Guest FourAces]

"Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called it impractical. "It's hard enough to get a good compatible match for a transplant like this," he said in a statement. "But you also have to find (a) compatible donor that has this genetic defect, and this defect is only found in 1% of the Caucasian population and 0% of the black population. This is very rare."

Further,

"The treatment associated with wiping out the immune system "is very hazardous," he said in a telephone interview.

"Even if somebody doesn't die from a transplant, there are complications that make it very unpleasant for people to live with," he said, citing graft-versus-host disease, where the infused donor cells attack the body. In a number of cases, the transplant proves fatal."

Full article

Wow Fauci must be a real fun guy at parties. What a joy killer