About a month old, but still REALLY INTERESTING.
In Berlin, a patient infected with HIV and also suffering from leukemia received a stem cell transplant, which contained cells impervious to HIV infection. The donor harbored a mutation present in 1% of Caucasians in northern and western Europe, in which the CCR5 receptor is absent. This receptor is necessary for early stage HIV to infect CD4 cells. Post transplant, the HIV-resistant stem cells repopulated, and the host's few original CD4 cells that had withstood chemotherapy and radiation disappeared. After 38 months, doctors still have no trace of HIV in the patient, and he is considered to be cured.
full article here:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-12/german-doctors-think-theyve-accidentally-cured-patients-hiv-stem-cell-transplant
-Catalina
I think there are actually multiple cases of this- we read about this in my "cancer and the immune system" seminar. It's really amazing that BM transplants intended to eliminate the leukemia could also (through a particularly advantageous mutation) eliminate HIV.
ReplyDeletealysha