21 Feb 2023 • Researchers have announced that a 53-year-old man in Germany has become the fifth person in history to be cured of HIV. The patient, known as "the Dusseldorf patient," received a stem cell transplant ten years ago and has not taken HIV medication in four years. While being the fifth person cured, the Dusseldorf patient is only the third person to be cured through a stem cell transplant. From the time of the procedure, the virus has not been detectable in his body. "It's really cure, and not just, you know, long-term remission," said Dr. Bjorn-Erik Ole Jensen who published the findings of the case.

Stem cell transplants are high-risk procedures that are normally reserved for cancer patients. The Dusseldorf patient was the same, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, just after beginning treatment for HIV.

"Following our intensive research, we can now confirm that it is fundamentally possible to prevent the replication of HIV on a sustainable basis by combining two key methods," Jensen said referring to the anti-retroviral medications along with the transplants.

Source: The Week | Read full story