A Cure For AIDS?

Doctors in Berlin may have found a cure for AIDS by transferring the stem cells of a person naturally immune to the virus to a man living with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Gero Hütter and Dr. Eckhard Thiel, blood-cancer specialists at Charité Hospital in Berlin, used HIV resistant tissue to perform a blood transfusion on a 42-year-old leukemia patient. He's currently showing no signs of leukemia or HIV.

According to BBC, approximately 1 in 1,000 Europeans and Americans have an inherent genetic mutation, dubbed Delta 32, that prevents HIV from attaching to their cells.

I think back some years ago to a friend I had in New York City that often complained of the constant phone calls he received begging him to participate in research studies. The researchers believed he (I'll call him "Mark") was one of the rare people who was naturally immune to HIV. He had had some 4 or 5 long term HIV-positive partners while remaining negative throughout and after the relationships. They poked, prodded and paid him to offer up his blood. I lost contact with Mark some time ago. Yet, I can't help but think of him as I report on this news out of Germany.

The case shines a beam of optimism on the seemingly flat state of HIV research. Experts do cite caution, however, on the thought that the results are the miracle cure we've been looking for.

"It’s very nice, and it’s not even surprising, but it’s just off the table of practicality," Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told The New York Times.

The procedure is also being called "unthinkable for the millions infected in Africa and impractical even for insured patients in top research hospitals." The chances of a patient finding a good tissue match that is also naturally resistant to HIV is rare. Not to mention the cost of such a procedure is out of reach for many, including the millions infected in sub-Saharan Africa. Could the expense of this procedure open the door for a cure only for the most wealthy and privileged? Could those without sufficient resources once again fall victim to not the lack of technology, but a deficit in funding?

Paul Ward, deputy chief executive at the Terrence Higgins Trust told BBC, "This case gives us something to explore in future studies but it's certainly not a quick fix as gene therapy is complex and expensive. With no cure in sight, prevention should be our number one priority."

I wonder how Mark is doing these days. I'm sure with this news neither he nor his phone are getting much rest.

More on HIV/AIDS:
The Biology of HIV
HIV Positive Dating
Can You Get HIV From Kissing?
Serodiscordant Relationships: When One Partner is HIV Positive

Image © Griszka Niewiadomski.