The patient was being treated for leukemia when she had a stem cell transplant from someone who had developed natural resistance to the HIV infection and for the past 14 months, the woman has been clear of the infection.
ADVERTISEMENT
HIV cure found as woman becomes 3rd patient to be cured
A woman in the United States is considered to be the third person in the world to be cured of HIV.
HIV test
ADVERTISEMENT
The woman underwent an umbilical cord blood transplant as part of her cancer treatment and has not required antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV afterward, Reuters report stated.
The instance was part of larger research in the United States of HIV-positive people who had received the same sort of blood transfusion to treat cancer and other serious ailments.
The transplanted cells that were chosen contain a specific genetic mutation that prevents the HIV virus from infecting them.
ADVERTISEMENT
As a result, scientists predict that recipients' immune systems will build resistance to HIV.
All HIV cure tales are very exceptional and cause for joy because they demonstrate that it is possible.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the woman was part of a study that began in 2015 designed to monitor outcomes of 25 people with HIV in the U.S. who underwent a transplant.
An infectious disease physician at UCLA, who led the study, Dr. Yvonne Bryson, discussed the team's findings along with the patient's condition.
"Today, we reported the third known case of HIV remission and the first woman following a stem cell transplant and using HIV-resistant cells," Bryson said at a press conference.
ADVERTISEMENT
She said "This case is special for several reasons: First, our participant was a U.S. woman living with HIV of mixed race, who needed a stem cell transplant for treatment of her leukemia. And she would find a more difficult time finding both a genetic match and one with the HIV-resistant mutation to both cure her cancer and potentially her HIV. This is a natural, but rare mutation."
Bryson added that while this approach of using genetically-matched umbilical cord blood with HIV-resistant mutation opens the door to more diverse populations and studies, she confirmed there is no current routine screening in place in the U.S. for this mutation.
Previously, two men have been cured of HIV using bone marrow or stem cell transplants.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh