Man 'cured' of AIDS after getting bone marrow transplant from donor with 'HIV immune' gene

Timothy Ray Brown, 45, claims to be the first person in history to be completely cured of AIDs.

Mr Brown, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, told that region's CBS 5: 'I’m cured of HIV. I had HIV but I don’t anymore'.

Last December, Mr Brown - often known as 'The Berlin Patient' because he formerly lived in that city - had his case published in the peer-reviewed journal 'Blood'.

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'Cured': Timothy Brown feels guilty at being the only person cured of the virus but hopes his story will give hope to the millions with the disease

Resistant: Mr Brown received stem cells from a donor who was resistant to HIV

The researchers wrote that tests 'strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved'.

Although experts remain cautiously optimistic about the larger consequences of Mr Brown's story, CBS 5 reported that some doctors not associated with the study call it a 'functional cure'.

Mr Brown said he first tested positive for HIV in 1995.

In 2007, when he was living in Germany, Mr Brown was undergoing extensive treatment for leukaemia in Berlin.



During the course of his treatment, his doctors gave him a bone marrow stem cell transplant from a donor thought to be immune from HIV.

The invasive procedure was not without risk, as some recipients can come down with graft-versus-host disease, which causes a number of serious complications.

Published: Mr Brown's case was published in the peer-reviewed journal 'Blood' in December

CCR5: People who inherit two copies of CCR5, the so-called 'immune gene', one from each parent, seem to have strong immunity to HIV. The mutation, occurs in an estimated 1 per cent of people descended from Northern Europeans, with a lower percentage in other races

But in this week's sit-down interview, Mr Brown told CBS 5: 'I quit taking my HIV medication the day that I got the transplant and haven’t had to take any since'.

Scientists have been studying immunity to HIV since the disease was discovered 30 years ago, as it soon became apparent that a small percentage of people seemed to be naturally resistant.

Researchers eventually zoomed in on a gene called CCR5. That gene codes for a protein that acts as a 'receptor' outside white blood cells - essentially a 'lock'.



If that receptor isn't present, it seems that the HIV virus cannot break into the blood cell. That means it cannot begin the infection that eventually leads to AIDS.

Scientists believe those who have one copy of the CCR5 gene enjoy some resistance against HIV, but not total immunity. That seems to be the case in about 10 to 15 per cent of those descended from Northern Europeans.



Those who inherit two copies of this so-called 'immune gene', one from each parent, seem to have strong immunity to HIV. That's the case in an estimated 1 per cent of people descended from Northern Europeans

Those who inherit two copies of this so-called 'immune gene', one from each parent, seem to have strong immunity to HIV. That's the case in an estimated 1 per cent of people descended from Northern Europeans, with Swedes being the most likely candidates.

Scientists say the gene is really a mutation, and that DNA studies suggest it arose in the Middle Ages. Some experts have suggested it spread in response to the Black Plague, while others have pointed to smallpox as more likely.

In the case of Mr Brown, his stem cell donor likely had two copies of the gene.



Mr Brown’s progress is being followed by doctors at San Francisco General Hospital and at the renowned University of California at San Francisco medical centre.



UCSF’s Dr. Paul Volberding, who has studied HIV since its discovery, told CBS 5: 'the Berlin Patient is a fascinating story, it’s not one that can be generalized'.

There are a number of hurdles. For one thing, some experts have cautioned that HIV could still be lurking somewhere in Mr Brown's body.



There's also the risk, and difficulty, of doing stem cell transplants, and the relative paucity of donors. Donating stem cells is a bit more invasive than a standard blood donation, and finding a good fit between donors and recipients isn't easy.

Monitoring: Doctors in California are keeping an eye on Mr Brown's progress, and are impressed by his health

Cautiously optimistic: Dr. Paul Volberding, who has studied HIV since its discovery, said: 'the Berlin Patient is a fascinating story, it's not one that can be generalized'

Still, it may soon be possible for scientists to manipulate the receptors on white blood cells to mimic the natural immunity, perhaps by gene therapy that is less invasive than stem cell transplants, or by making genetically engineered stem cells in a lab.



In the meantime, recent studies have shown that healthy patients who take new antiretroviral medications can reduce their risk of getting HIV up to 73 percent.

That's especially being looked at for parts of Africa that are stricken with large numbers of HIV-positive people.

For the estimated 33 million people around the world who are already HIV positive, Mr Brown's story should be encouraging news that scientists are getting closer to a large-scale cure.



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