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Cancer Treatment May Have Cured Man's AIDS
After marrow transplant, patient stays virus-free
By Katherine Thompson
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Posted Nov 7, 08 11:03 AM CST
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(Newser)
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A German doctor has inspired hope for a new approach to AIDS treatment with his handling of a leukemia case, the Wall Street Journal reports. Because the patient also had AIDS, Gero Hütter looked for a bone marrow donor with a specific mutation that seems to stymie the HIV virus. Nearly 2 years later, the American patient remains AIDS-free.
About 1% of Europeans carry this mutation, which prevents the creation of a molecule that allows HIV easier access to human cells. The donated marrow seems to be offering Hütter’s patient continued protection, but such a treatment is not for everyone: such transplants have 30% mortality rates. Instead, gene therapy looks like a promising, and somewhat safer, line of research.