Pathways to HIV remissionThe only two people thought to be cured of HIV — Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the Berlin Patient, and Adam Castillejo in London — received bone marrow transplants to treat leukemia or lymphoma from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that makes T cells resistant to the virus.
Before the transplants, they received chemotherapy to kill off their cancerous immune cells, allowing the donor stem cells to rebuild a new HIV-resistant immune system.
However, this procedure is far too risky for people who do not need a bone marrow transplant to treat advanced cancer, and it is too expensive to be scaled up to cure the millions of people living with HIV worldwide.As reported Tuesday by Dr.