For the first time in history, a man is cured of HIV

Standard Toaster

http://gizmodo.com/5713498/man-officially-cured-of-hiv

For the first time, a man has been declared officially cured of HIV. The remedy may nearly have killed him, but it opens a door—just a crack—to hope that we may someday kill off the scourge for good.
Strangely enough, the diagnosis that most concerned Timothy Ray Brown in 2007 was acute myeloid leukemia. HIV has been increasingly thought of as a manageable disease, though certainly a terribly burdensome one. What brought the 42-year old Brown under the care of Germany's Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin hospital was the more immediate threat his cancer posed.
The treatment Brown underwent was aggressive: chemotherapy that destroyed the majority of his immune cells. Total body irradiation. Finally, a risky stem-cell transplant that nearly a third of patients don't survive—but that appears to have completely cured Brown of HIV.
Doctors were savvy when they chose a stem cell donor for Brown. The man whose bone marrow they used has a particular genetic mutation, present in an incredibly small percentage of people, that makes him almost invulnerable to HIV. With Brown's own defenses decimated by treatments, the healthy, HIV-resistant donor cells repopulated his immune system. The initial indications that the virus had abated were promising. But only just now, having taken no antiretroviral drugs since the transplant, and following extensive testing shows no signs whatsoever of HIV, have his doctors given the official word:
He's cured.
What does this mean for the future of treatment? It's not as though every HIV patient can or would want to go through the tremendous suffering that was prelude to Brown's recovery, or be able to afford the procedure if they could or did. But for the first time, we know that HIV can be cured, not just managed. It opens new avenues of research—gene therapy, stem cell treatments—that may otherwise have been thought dead ends

Didn't see this anywhere else. This is monumental because for the first time in human history, we know that it’s possible to cure HIV.

To quote:
"I dunno how much AIDS scares y'all, but I got a theory: the day they come out with a cure for AIDS, a guaranteed one-shot cure, on that day there's gonna be ****ing in the streets, man."

Bill Hicks

orourkeda

Someone pass him a condom

starbelgrade

He must've had good AIDS.

KeithM89_old

Its not the 'first time ever':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7726118.stm

2008:

Doctors in Germany say a patient appears to have been cured of HIV by a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had a genetic resistance to the virus.
The researchers in Berlin said the man, who suffered from leukaemia and HIV, had shown no sign of either disease since the transplant two years ago.

Owen

In the last 2 weeks, I've read about Stem Cells restoring sight, restoring a spinal paralysis case in a Mouse, and restoring the protective coating that Multiple Sclerosis damages in brain cells.

[EDIT]Just read another article where a fetal intestinal tract was grown in a lab from Stem Cells - which could make potential intestinal problems/cancer a thing of the past with potential lab grown transplants.[/EDIT]

So why are we listening to people holding up Stem Cell research again?

bonerm

They must have made a mistake? Medical research is not about cures as there's no profit margin in it.

Standard Toaster

KeithM89 wrote: »

Its not the 'first time ever':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7726118.stm

2008:

Tis the same guy I believe


Edit
link
http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_berlin_cure_1667_19563.shtml

pablomakaveli

So he had to first be irradited during chemo, then receive a risky stem cell transplant with the donor having a mutation that made him immune to HIV.

I can't really see how a commonly available cure could come from that experience.

deereidy

yeah, i'm really surprised that the first time i hear about this is on boards, its not like the media would purposely keep anything this big quiet on purpose, very strange

Jamiekelly

bonerm wrote: »

They must have made a mistake? Medical research is not about cures as there's no profit margin in it.

Medical research is not about cures? LOL

Standard Toaster

pablomakaveli wrote: »

So he had to first be irradited during chemo, then receive a risky stem cell transplant with the donor having a mutation that made him immune to HIV.

I can't really see how a commonly available cure could come from that experience.

He's cured is he not? Hopefully, and from the looks of it, there has been alot learned from this. Now HIV/AIDS in Afraica etc, that's a looooooonngggg way off, but hopefully in my lifetime.

pablomakaveli

Chakka!!! wrote: »

He's cured is he not? Hopefully, and from the looks of it, there has been alot learned from this. Now HIV/AIDS in Afraica etc, that's a looooooonngggg way off, but hopefully in my lifetime.

And the cure could potentially have killed him.

Don't get me wrong, i'm glad he was cured i just don't see this case as one that could lead to a common cure for HIV.

strobe

PaintDoctor wrote: »

In the last 2 weeks, I've read about Stem Cells restoring sight, restoring a spinal paralysis case in a Mouse, and restoring the protective coating that Multiple Sclerosis damages in brain cells.

So why are we listening to people holding up Stem Cell research again?

Because stem cell treatments make baby Jesus cry.

Shame on you, and in the Christmas season too! :mad:

Owen

strobe wrote: »

Because stem cell treatments make baby Jesus cry.

Stem Cells could fix the holes in Adult Jebus' hands!

Standard Toaster

pablomakaveli wrote: »

And the cure could potentially have killed him.

Don't get me wrong, i'm glad he was cured i just don't see this case as one that could lead to a common cure for HIV.

Probably why it's not picked up elsewhere I guess.

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2010/12/14/for-the-first-time-in-history-a-man-is-cured-of-hiv/

For the first time in history, a man has been cured of HIV. The patient, 42-year old Timothy Ray Brown was first hospitalized at Berlin at Germany’s Charite Universitatsmedizin hospital after he contracted acute myeloid leukemia in 2007. He underwent aggressive chemotherapy that destroyed the majority of his immune cells and finally, went through a risky stem-cell transplant that appears to have completely cured Brown of HIV.

The key to this particular case was in the stem cell donor, who had a rare genetic mutation called CCR5 delta 32 homozygosity that is associated with a reduced risk of becoming infected with HIV. While Brown’s own immune system was shot, the donor’s cells were effective enough so that three years later, Brown was completely cured.

The treatment was life-threatening and not something many HIV patients would want to go through, but it opens up new avenues of research into gene therapies and stem cell treatments that may otherwise have been thought hopeless. And while no longer considered as maliciously fatal, HIV patients still live a life rife with pain and hardship. This case is monumental because for the first time in human history, we know that it’s possible to cure HIV and that is awe-inspiring.

Gives hope to those who are infected.

mikom

Chakka!!! wrote: »

For the first time in history, a man is cured of HIV

You positive?

Ghandee

My TWO next door neighbours have AIDS!















one has a hearing aid, and the other has a walking aid

Elevator

fyp

for the first time since man unleashed HIV a man has been cured of this horribly debilitating disease, but not before he was reduced to a bald dying looking creature who after all the treatment was subject to another particularly harsh treatment and survived

the cure for aids ladies and gentlemen, queue this side please

deereidy

pablomakaveli wrote: »

So he had to first be irradited during chemo, then receive a risky stem cell transplant with the donor having a mutation that made him immune to HIV.

I can't really see how a commonly available cure could come from that experience.

Yes, I'm gonna happily berate you for your ignorance now! There has been so much research done for years to try and find a cure for AIDS, with hundreds of scientists working on it and coming up with deadends (apart from obviously the medicine which prolongs people's lives dramatically, but they still eventually succumb to the virus.) Any kind of new discovery at all is incredibly important, and the fact that someone had it and is now HIV negative is absolutely astounding

Mrmoe

Bloody brilliant news:). Hopefully people will look back and see this as a watershed moment in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Now that they have a basis for a cure they can work on reducing the risk and the cost that will hopefully put an end to this scourge.

deereidy

pablomakaveli wrote: »

And the cure could potentially have killed him.

Don't get me wrong, i'm glad he was cured i just don't see this case as one that could lead to a common cure for HIV.

It's a stepping stone! I don't understand how people don't get this, HIV is a huge riddle that needs to be unlocked and this is done bit by bit, chisselling away and figuring out ways around it. As Tesco say, every little helps Maybe far into the future they'll be stocking the cure and you'll pick it up like you pick up strepsils :P *

*note: this is an exaggeration, since things have to spelt out for bloody everyone here

DOC09UNAM

Elevator wrote: »

fyp

for the first time since man unleashed HIV a man has been cured of this horribly debilitating disease, but not before he was reduced to a bald dying looking creature who after all the treatment was subject to another particularly harsh treatment and survived

the cure for aids ladies and gentlemen, queue this side please

Yeah genius, he would have been better off dead :rolleyes:

pablomakaveli

deereidy wrote: »

Yes, I'm gonna happily berate you for your ignorance now! There has been so much research done for years to try and find a cure for AIDS, with hundreds of scientists working on it and coming up with deadends (apart from obviously the medicine which prolongs people's lives dramatically, but they still eventually succumb to the virus.) Any kind of new discovery at all is incredibly important, and the fact that someone had it and is now HIV negative is absolutely astounding

deereidy wrote: »

It's a stepping stone! I don't understand how people don't get this, HIV is a huge riddle that needs to be unlocked and this is done bit by bit, chisselling away and figuring out ways around it. As Tesco say, every little helps Maybe far into the future they'll be stocking the cure and you'll pick it up like you pick up strepsils :P *

*note: this is an exaggeration, since things have to spelt out for bloody everyone here

Well sorry if im a bit sceptical but his cure could have killed him if luck had'nt been on his side. The only thing from this story that has potential in a cure is the genetic mutation that the donor had but the article seems to indicate that doctors were aware of that already so the only thing that could be taken from the patients experience is seeing the effectiveness of the mutation.

Wiping out an HIV victims immune system and giving them a risky stem cell transplant does'nt look like a viable route for a cure.

Star Bingo

AIDS eh! shout it loud enough for long enough and maybe just maybe, as in this man's case one shall come.

- thread killah.

starbelgrade

Chakka!!! wrote: »

Gives hope to those who are infected.

The zombies?

deereidy

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Well sorry if im a bit sceptical but his cure could have killed him if luck had'nt been on his side. The only thing from this story that has potential in a cure is the genetic mutation that the donor had but the article seems to indicate that doctors were aware of that already so the only thing that could be taken from the patients experience is seeing the effectiveness of the mutation.

Wiping out an HIV victims immune system and giving them a risky stem cell transplant does'nt look like a viable route for a cure.

Of course this in itself isn't a cure, but you can't deny that this is progress. And it's definitly nice to hear some good news about it for once. What exactly are you sceptical about, that this isn't good news?

Standard Toaster

starbelgrade wrote: »

The zombies?

Only if they are christian sinning zombies

opinion guy

Interesting.
Here's a thought. Supposing if one were HIV +ve, didn't have cancer and had loads of cash - would you pay for this treatment ? I mean not having cancer should make it less risky, no ?

opinion guy

lol - the first comment on the artile:

internet wise ass wrote:

Well, ****, I should hope he was cured after that.

He basically did Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Ctrl+A, Ctrl+W, Windows, run+Enter, explorer.exe.

Reset the mother****ing system.

Tar.Aldarion

Stem cell treatment isn't amazing, it's ****in' god-like.

OutlawPete

L.A. Lakers,
Fast break makers
Kings of the court,
Shake and bake all takers,
Back to back, is a bad ass fact,
A claim that remains intact,
Penetrating the lane like a bullet train,
Comes the magic blood, a telepathic brain.

Star Bingo

knucklehead suckers better duck
when the buck comes through like a truck
scott stops pops and drops it in
on his way back gets a little skin
from the hand of a man named a.c. green
slam so hard break your t.v. screen
worthy's hot with his tomahawk
take it to the hole make your mamma talk

OutlawPete

M-A-G-I-C magic of the buck,
Other teams pray for dreams,
But he don't give a FUCK!

Napper Hawkins

Right on.

Jesus Wept

Was probably just a head cold.

ardinn

Jamiekelly wrote: »

Medical research is not about cures? LOL

No actually its not - I have a friend who is a pharmaceutical Scientist - the company he works with, if they so desired could release a preventative tablet that would stop the infection of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and a couple of others!!!

They dont because people wouldnt need the cures then.


True Story!

sponsoredwalk

(CNN) -- Researchers in Germany are reporting that they may have cured
a man of HIV infection. If true, that would represent a scientific advance,
but not necessarily a treatment advance, said researchers familiar with the work.
...

But AIDS researchers predicted the report will have little impact on practice.
"This probably is a cure, but it comes at a bit of a price," said Dr. Michael
Saag, professor of medicine and director of the University of Alabama at
Birmingham AIDS Center.
"For him to receive the donor cells, his body had to have all of his immune
system wiped out" and then receive a bone marrow transplant, Saag
noted. "The Catch-22 here is that the best candidates for a cure, ideally,
are people who are healthy" and don't have leukemia.

...

The study is a proof of the concept "that our understanding of HIV biology
is correct, and that if you eliminate -- not just in theory but in practice --
all of the cells in the body that are producing HIV and replace them with
uninfected cells, you have a cure," Saag said.
But remaining infected with HIV is not always associated with the same
grim outcome that was the norm prior to the mid-1990s, when more
effective anti-HIV drugs were developed, he said.
"We can keep people alive for a normal life span," he said. "That means a
25-year-old diagnosed today with HIV has a reasonably good chance of
living to 80, 85, 90."
Further limiting the treatment's potential appeal is the fact that it could
cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for each patient who gets it, he
said.
"It's not going to be applicable unless they develop leukemia or lymphoma
and need a bone-marrow transplant,"Saag said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, called it impractical. "It's hard enough to get a good
compatible match for a transplant like this," he said in a statement.
"But you also have to find (a) compatible donor that has this genetic
defect, and this defect is only found in 1% of the Caucasian population
and 0% of the black population. This is very rare."
But HIV itself is not. According to the World Health Organization, 33.4
million people worldwide have the virus that causes AIDS.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/12/14/hiv.infection.cure/

A step in the right direction but not really a cure in practice.

sponsoredwalk

ardinn wrote: »

No actually its not - I have a friend who is a pharmaceutical Scientist - the company he works with, if they so desired could release a preventative tablet that would stop the infection of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and a couple of others!!!

They dont because people wouldnt need the cures then.


True Story!

That's not medical research that's pharmaceutical research & yeah they are
totally corrupt.

smk89

As good as this is it still will be another 50 years before we have a proper cure. Prove me wrong science!

jimthemental

sponsoredwalk wrote: »

That's not medical research that's pharmaceutical research & yeah they are
totally corrupt.

They are necessarily corrupt though as due to stringent regulation, clinical trials, massive capital expenditure and often decade long research for dead ends they have to be money focused to have any kind of shot at progress.

Dean820

Old news.

Duggy747

Ah, just give him a blanket, a bottle of 7-UP and a kiss from Mammy............that cures everything.

Still though, not practical but it at least shows HIV can be cured and that it'll open up doors to obviously better methods of curing it.

prinz

There was a thread on this here a long time ago, again apparently the medical world was trying to "cover up the cure". This isn't a cure, it's a genetic fluke.

Standard Toaster

Dean820 wrote: »

Old news.

Unless your name is Kyle Reese, your incorrect.

It's important to have overthrown the dogma that HIV can never be cured.
If Mr Brown has been cured, it points the way towards developing a cure for HIV/Aids infection through genetically engineered stem cells.

thebigbiffo

not a cure - they replaced his ENTIRE immune system...that's gonna 'cure' alot of ailments - especially an immunodeficiency virus - if ya live through it. although it looks and sounds nice, and fair play to yer man, the procedure itself does not help whatsoever in the the search for a real cure.

seamus

pablomakaveli wrote: »

And the cure could potentially have killed him.

Don't get me wrong, i'm glad he was cured i just don't see this case as one that could lead to a common cure for HIV.

The vast majority of treatments for big killers start out as insanely risky. Coronary-artery bypass surgery, chemotherapy, etc.

All of these treatments start their life with a mortality rate just barely above the base mortality rate for the ailment they're treating, but over time the nature of the treatment (and ailment) is better understood, the complementary treatments are improved. The first heart transplant, for example, theoetically increased the patient's lifespan by just 18 days, if you assume that he was going to die immediately.
Now more than two-thirds of heart transplant patients survive longer than five years.

So while this is not any kind of, "Shift out a whole batch of drugs, AIDS is gone!" proclaimation, it's up there with the first human heart transplant surgery in showing sufferers that medical science is making progress and there is definite hope for the future.

prinz wrote: »

This isn't a cure, it's a genetic fluke.

Fluke or not, the "cure" itself for this man didn't come about spontaneously. It was done to hard research, development and planning for the treatment.

It proves that it is possible to take an HIV-positive person and remove the pathogen from their system. That the source of the cure is a genetic fluke is pretty irrelevant - most treatments and cures are derived from natural sources and animal or plant resistances to chemicals, bacteria and virii.

It leads the way towards using stem cells to treat the condition in other patients, with a view to stemming (no pun) the spread of HIV within that person's body. Many people carry diseases throughout their entire life without showing symptoms or suffering for it. You don't necessarily have to cure HIV, just prevent it from becoming symptomatic.

the procedure itself does not help whatsoever in the the search for a real cure.

We have to face the possibility that this may be the real cure - at least in the medium-term. AIDS is still a fatal disease, like cancer. The latter requires drastic, debilitating treatments to fight off, so there's no reason why a person wouldn't accept 2 months in ICU if it stands a good chance of removing HIV from their body.

derfderf

Are we gonna have people that don't have cancer and can't afford the treatment sticking their balls in the microwave now to jump the queue?

sponsoredwalk

It was already known that the virus could be eliminated by removing all the
infected cells. That's what they've acheived. The cure is removing the
cells by any means necessary, the virus infects & corrupts a persons T
cells & you just can't reverse that, you need to get rid of them.
Luckily here the man was able to take a transplant which he received a
person who is immune to infection due to a particular genetic variation
which illustrates the tremendous power of natural selection, i.e. that
statistical genetic variation within a population has the capacity to allow
for some people to be naturally born with traits that which others aren't.
It's not really a genetic fluke more like a statistical expectation & the work
of some really smart people. Also I don't think anyone has a problem
with this kind of stem cell research s it's not embryonic, but people always
have the capacity to surprise

The guy is called "The Berlin Patient", I send this one off to him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pitzTHQHUcA

/exits...

Dean820

Chakka!!! wrote: »

Unless your name is Kyle Reese, your incorrect.

It's important to have overthrown the dogma that HIV can never be cured.
If Mr Brown has been cured, it points the way towards developing a cure for HIV/Aids infection through genetically engineered stem cells.

Don't go all mushy on me now.:p

sensibleken

strobe wrote: »

Because stem cell treatments make baby Jesus cry.

Shame on you, and in the Christmas season too! :mad:

fúck that whingy kid!

Drumpot

PaintDoctor wrote: »

So why are we listening to people holding up Stem Cell research again?

http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/964/Ten_Great_Media_Myths_in_the_Debate_Over_Stem_Cell_Research.html


Wonder would Walker Bush decline any treatment if he had cancer or something else life threatening, if the cure was made through this kind of research . .

Me thinks him and his kind would quickly change their holier then thou attitude if their ass was on the line.