Medical breakthrough: the English Patient was completely freed from the HI-Virus

New therapy for the cure of HIV in sight?

A team of Doctors recently reported that a man from England by the HI-Virus be cured. The English Patient has already been in place for 18 months, no detectable signs of the virus. Worldwide, he is the second known Person who could be cured of HIV. The Virus triggers in the final stages of the fatal disease AIDS.

A Team of Medical scientists and doctors in the UK has recently freed a patient from the dangerous Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Apparently, the healing was a positive side effect of a cancer therapy. The man suffered from Hodgkin’s disease, a malignant Tumor of the lymphatic system. For the treatment, he received a stem cell transplant which freed him at the same time of the HI-Virus. The reason is that the donor had a natural Mutation that protects him from some HIV types. This Mutation was transferred by donation to the patient and healed him. The exceptional case was recently presented in the journal “Nature”.

Rare Mutation suppresses the HI-virus

As the Doctors inform, this is now already the second case of this kind. ten years Ago, Berlin had already been in the same way HIV cured. Both patients were treated with stem cell transplants from donors that carried a genetic Mutation in the HIV-Receptor CCR5.

For the past 18 months without any signs of HIV

The English Patient has already sold in the last 18 months of his anti retro viral therapy against HIV, and no evidence shows symptoms of the disease. Nevertheless, the Doctors are cautiously show: “It is still too early to say with certainty that he was healed of HIV and his condition will continue to be monitored,” write the doctors of the University College London to the rare case.

There is currently no cure of HIV

“At the Moment the intake of medicines that suppress the Virus,” explains Professor Ravindra Gupta in a press release, is the only way for the treatment of HIV. People with HIV are currently dependent their whole life on medication. In particular, in developing countries, this represents a major challenge. Nearly 37 million people worldwide are living with HIV, every year, around one Million people still die of it. “To find a way to get the HI-eliminate viruses completely, is particularly difficult because the Virus integrates in the white blood cells of the host,” explains the Professor.

On the exceptional the English patient

The English Patient, who wishes to remain on their own wish dear anonymous, suffers since the year 2003, under a HIV-infection. In the year 2012 also advanced Hodgkin’s was diagnosed with lymphoma. In addition to chemotherapy he underwent and then, in 2016, a stem cell transplant. By this Transplantation the Mutation found in the patient’s body. The Mutation with the complicated name of CCR5 Δ32 alleles ensures that HIV-1 pathogen can not penetrate into the host cells, since Receptor CCR5 is accessible.

35 months after Transplantation

The Patient took after the transplant first 16 months of the HIV drugs. Then, the clinical Team decided together with the patient, the ARV therapy is to interrupt, to test whether HIV-1 Remission. For the past 18 months, he’s off his meds and regular testing confirmed that no viruses are detectable.

New approach for HIV therapy

“By the Remission in the case of a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly,” says Professor Gupta. However, this method is not suitable as a Standard HIV treatment. The side effects of the therapy were too severe. Nevertheless, a gene therapy for the treatment of HIV, despite further research to imagine. “If we continue our research, we need to understand whether we could turn off this Receptor in people with HIV,” says Professor Gupta. The apparent success of stem cell transplant offer new hope in the search for a long-awaited cure for HIV and AIDS. For more information about HIV you can find in the article “sexual diseases”. (vb)