Scientists from the UK transplanted stem cells into a man known as the "London Patient" and infected with HIV, as a result of which the patient got rid of a deadly infection - viruses are no longer found in his body. This is reported by Science. The man was initially treated for progressive lymphoma, which is common in people with HIV. Doctors transplanted hematopoietic (hematopoietic) stem cells from a donor who had a mutation in the gene encoding the CCR5 adhesion protein. This compound is found on the surface of white blood cells - T cells - and binds to specific molecules, sending signals into the cell. Mutations in CCR5 prevent HIV from attaching to the membrane, making it impossible for the virus to enter the body.
The patient also underwent a conditioning regimen designed to kill malignant bone marrow cells. After the transplanted cells replaced cells vulnerable to HIV, the patient stopped taking antiretroviral drugs. According to experts, HIV has not been detected in a man for 18 months. The test results showed that his white blood cells had become immune to the virus, indicating that the stem cells had taken root.
A number of researchers so far prefer to talk about long-term remission rather than complete cure. However, if HIV is not detected for several years, then the "London patient" will become the second person in history to completely recover from the virus through stem cell transplantation. The first was Timothy Ray Brown, or "Berlin Patient," who underwent a procedure in 2007 to treat leukemia.
The second person in the world got rid of HIV
Scientists from the UK transplanted stem cells into a man known as the "London Patient" and infected with HIV, as a result of which the patient got rid of a deadly infection - viruses are no longer found in his body. This is reported by Science. The man was initially treated for progressive lymphoma, which is common in people with HIV. Doctors transplanted hematopoietic (hematopoietic) stem cells from a donor who had a mutation in the gene encoding the CCR5 adhesion protein. This compound is found on the surface of white blood cells - T cells - and binds to specific molecules, sending signals into the cell. Mutations in CCR5 prevent HIV from attaching to the membrane, making it impossible for the virus to enter the body.
The patient also underwent a conditioning regimen designed to kill malignant bone marrow cells. After the transplanted cells replaced cells vulnerable to HIV, the patient stopped taking antiretroviral drugs. According to experts, HIV has not been detected in a man for 18 months. The test results showed that his white blood cells had become immune to the virus, indicating that the stem cells had taken root.
A number of researchers so far prefer to talk about long-term remission rather than complete cure. However, if HIV is not detected for several years, then the "London patient" will become the second person in history to completely recover from the virus through stem cell transplantation. The first was Timothy Ray Brown, or "Berlin Patient," who underwent a procedure in 2007 to treat leukemia.
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The scientists' caution is explained by the fact that the method did not work for many other HIV-infected with malignant blood diseases. Some have had a relapse of the infection, others have died of cancer. However, in some cases, the donor cells lacked mutations in CCR5, which allowed the virus to grow in size after a conditioning regimen, during which the cellular reservoirs of HIV were destroyed. In addition, the transplanted cells themselves provoked an immune attack on the recipient's tissues, which also temporarily destroyed the viruses. Thus, it is mutant stem cells that can be the condition for a complete cure for HIV.