London: A 60-year-old HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) patient in Germany seems to have been cured of the deadly virus after receiving a stem cell transplant.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with HIV in 2009 and then acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2015.
Nine years after being treated, he has no detectable HIV currently in his body, making him the seventh case of conquering HIV since the AIDS epidemic began.
HIV affects approximately 39 million people worldwide, and more than a million in India.
The significant development comes just days before the International AIDS Conference, which will take place in Munich from July 22 to 26.
The fact that the stem cell donor was not immune to HIV makes this case especially significant.
HIV expert Professor Christian Gaebler from Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin expressed astonishment at the outcome, emphasising its uniqueness in the history of HIV treatment.
Doctors at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Europe’s largest university hospital, decided to perform a stem cell transplant on the patient – who dubbed himself as the ‘next Berlin patient’ – after his dual diagnosis in 2015.
“The virus-free observation period of more than five years now indicates that the HIV virus has actually been completely removed from the patient’s body. We therefore consider him to be cured of his HIV infection,” said Professor Olaf Penack, a senior physician at the clinic.
Prof. Gaebler, however, cautioned that “considerable risks” associated with stem cell transplantation make it unsuitable for widespread use in HIV treatment.
“Previous stem cell transplants without an immune donor resulted in the HIV multiplying again after a few months,” Gaebler pointed out.
A stem cell transplant is a procedure through which a patient receives healthy stem cells (blood-forming cells) to replace his own stem cells that have been destroyed by treatment with radiation or high doses of chemotherapy.
The healthy stem cells can be from the patient’s blood or bone marrow, or a related or unrelated donor.
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