Second HIV Patient May Be Cured After Stem-Cell Transplant

Second HIV Patient May Be Cured After Stem-Cell Transplant

New case involving London man provides new impetus to develop treatments based on transplants

There is not a known cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, a man from London might actually be the second person to overcome this disease that causes AIDS. He received a stem-cell transplant from a donor who was genetically resistant to HIV. After three years after the transplant, tests showed that he had no detectable amounts of the virus. This was due to a mutation of the CCR5 gene, which prevents HIV infection.

This case provides information to develop treatments based on the transplants. Researchers have tried to cure more patients in the following years. However, they were not successful.

Scientists continue to find a cure for HIV. About 37 million people are infected by this virus. This approach cannot be applied to this many people because it is both risky and costly. The reason they did a transplant on this man was because he had leukemia and needed the transplant. Other patients have been using experimental treatments and have stopped HIV medication, but their infections came back.

I chose this article because I like science and I find it very interesting. Diseases are very difficult to understand, and researchers work hard to find solutions. To understand pathologies, we must know how things work under normal circumstances. This paper can be related to marketing concepts because if the researchers find a cure/solution to HIV, they can begin marketing their product to the public and help those who suffer from this infection.

By Betsy McKay

March 4, 2019 10:57 p.m. ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/london-man-may-be-cured-of-hiv-after-stem-cell-transplant-researchers-say-11551746867