Researchers are closer to unraveling the mystery of how Timothy Ray Brown, the only human cured of HIV, defeated the virus, according to a new study. Although the work doesn't provide a definitive answer, it rules out one possible explanation.
Researchers point to three different factors that could independently or in combination have rid Brown’s body of HIV. The first is the process of conditioning, in which doctors destroyed Brown’s own immune system with chemotherapy and whole body irradiation to prepare him for his bone marrow transplant.
His oncologist, Gero Hütter, who was then with the Free University of Berlin, also took an extra step that he thought might not only cure the leukemia but also help rid Brown’s body of HIV. He found a bone marrow donor who had a rare mutation in a gene that cripples a key receptor on white blood cells the virus uses to establish an infection. (For years, researchers referred to Brown as "the Berlin patient.")
The third possibility is his new immune system attacked remnants of his old one that held HIV-infected cells, a process known as graft versus host disease.
(Score: 5, Informative) by black6host on Wednesday October 01 2014, @07:23PM
For those who don't want to read the article the ruled out method was the conditioning.
From the article:
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Joe on Wednesday October 01 2014, @09:33PM
It is unlikely that graft versus host disease (GVHD) has anything to do with this. GVHD would not be specific to HIV reservoirs and, even if it somehow would be, bystander cell death wouldn't go unnoticed by the patient. HIV also has multiple reservoirs beyond those derived from immune cells or their precursors.
I would expect this patient still has some latent HIV somewhere in his body, but it doesn't really have anywhere to go. His new immune system would be able to recognize cells that would be actively producing virus and kill them, which would reduce the likelihood of the virus spreading to new cells.
- Joe
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:44PM
The patient stopped frequenting bath houses and poofter bars.