April 29, 2024

Medical Trend

Medical News and Medical Resources

The 6th case of “cured” AIDS patient may have emerged

The 6th case of “cured” AIDS patient may have emerged: Not universally applicable at present



 

The 6th case of “cured” AIDS patient may have emerged: Not universally applicable at present.

Recently, a European man who underwent a stem cell transplant to treat hematologic cancer (commonly known as “blood cancer”) has experienced a remission of AIDS for a duration of 20 months.

If the remission continues, he will become the 6th person in history to achieve an “AIDS cure,” and he is referred to as the “Geneva patient.”

 

The 6th case of "cured" AIDS patient may have emerged: Not universally applicable at present

 

 

Before this 6th case, five individuals worldwide were considered to have achieved an “AIDS cure,” including patients from Berlin, London, Dusseldorf, New York, and the city of Hope in California.

Several experts interviewed have mentioned that these cases do not currently represent a universal phenomenon, but they do provide valuable insights for future research directions towards curing HIV.

 

The previous 5 “cured” AIDS patients, like the “Berlin patient,” “London patient,” and “New York patient,” underwent stem cell transplants from donors with a CCR5 gene mutation.

However, the “City of Hope” patient, similar to the “Berlin patient” and the “London patient,” received bone marrow transplant treatment, while the “New York patient” received stem cells from cord blood.

 

Dr. Jiang Jing, an ophthalmologist at Huashan Hospital with extensive experience in HIV eye disease treatment, explained that the first 5 cured patients all had AIDS in combination with leukemia or lymphoma, which are blood system diseases.

They received bone marrow transplants, with the “New York patient” receiving hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood of a CCR5 gene mutation (CCR5-Δ32) donor.

This mutation can prevent the HIV virus from entering human cells. However, in the case of the “Geneva patient,” the transplanted stem cells came from a donor without the CCR5-Δ32 mutation.

 

Does the “cure” of the 6th “Geneva patient” imply that stem cells without the CCR5 gene mutation can also be used to treat AIDS?

Experts told the media that AIDS patients with concomitant blood diseases may not achieve a cure if they receive transplants from stem cells without the CCR5 gene defect.

The reasons for the success of the so-called 6th HIV “cured” patient are not yet clear, and similar cases in the past did not show this outcome, so further information is needed for analysis.

 

Medical experts indicate that the two main challenges for achieving a “complete cure” of AIDS are the lack of an effective vaccine and the presence of reservoirs.

Due to the frequent mutations and high diversity of the HIV virus, which has over ten thousand subtypes, developing an effective and broadly applicable vaccine remains a current challenge.

Additionally, the existence of barrier organs, viral latency, reactivation, drug resistance, and the formation of reservoirs all pose serious threats to the quality of life and survival of AIDS patients.

In conclusion, achieving a complete cure for AIDS is still a formidable and distant task.

 

 

 

The 6th case of “cured” AIDS patient may have emerged: Not universally applicable at present

(source:internet, reference only)


Disclaimer of medicaltrend.org


Important Note: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.