The first person in the world cured of HIV.
Timothy Brown, 46, who lives in the western United States, is the first HIV patient to be cured and no longer infected with the virus.
Previously mentioned in medical journals under the pseudonym "The Berlin Patient," Brown revealed his true identity in 2010, three years later, when a breakthrough treatment cured both his HIV and cancer. He now assists an organization dedicated to AIDS research.
"Aside from the fact that I still have some difficulty getting around, I feel very well otherwise. It's wonderful to be cured," Brown said at a meeting organized by the AIDS Research Foundation last month.
Timothy Brown was the world's first HIV patient to be cured.
"Essentially, I'm cured, meaning I'm not affected by the virus at all and I don't need to take antiviral medication," Brown said.
He reportedly tested positive for HIV in 1995 while living in the capital.
Mr. Brown had to take medication constantly to fight the "disease of the century," and 10 years later, he began to feel his body weakening significantly. A spinal cord biopsy in 2006 revealed that he had leukemia.
After undergoing chemotherapy, Brown was recommended a bone marrow transplant by oncologist Gero Huetter to replace the marrow lost due to chemotherapy. According to the doctor, one in 100 people, mostly in Northern Europe, have a high resistance to HIV due to a genetic mutation. In other words, their cells lack the entry points for HIV to penetrate.
In 2007, Mr. Brown received a bone marrow transplant from someone with a gene mutation that conferred resistance to HIV. He also stopped taking his HIV medication. And although the leukemia remained, the HIV "disappeared."
Researchers say that bone marrow transplantation is a very dangerous procedure for patients and should only be performed in extremely rare cases.
"Brown had to accept the bone marrow transplant not because he had HIV, but because if he didn't, he would die from leukemia," said Paula Cannon, a professor at the University of Southern California, at an amfAR press conference.
Dr. Robert Siliiano of Johns Hopkins University (USA) confirmed that Timothy Brown had undergone numerous tests, and the results showed that he no longer had HIV in his body.
Ms. Cannon stated that scientists are researching ways to implant HIV-resistant gene mutations into the bone marrow to create an antibody against HIV in the body. This would allow infected individuals to avoid the need for bone marrow transplants from other donors.
According to VOV-M
