First man ‘functionally cured’ of HIV

[Guest guest]

 http://beta.news./blogs/lookout/first-man-functionally-cured-hiv-2140\

38940.html

First man ‘functionally cured’ of HIVBy Liz Goodwin | The Lookout – 25

minutes

ago

*  

AP110516057251

Since the HIV virus was discovered 30 years ago this week, 30 million people

have died from the disease, and it continues to spread at the rate of 7,000

people per day globally, the UN says.

There's not much good news when it comes to this devestating disease. But that

is perhaps why the story of the man scientists call the " Berlin patient " is so

remarkable and has generated so much excitement among the HIV advocacy

community.

Ray Brown suffered from both leukemia and HIV when he received a bone

marrow stem cell transplant in Berlin, Germany in 2007. The transplant came from

a man who was immune to HIV, which scientists say about 1 percent of Caucasians

are. (According to San Francisco's CBS affiliate, the trait may be passed down

from ancestors who became immune to the plague centuries ago.)

What happened next has stunned the dozens of scientists who are closely

monitoring Brown: His HIV went away.

" He has no replicating virus and he isn't taking any medication. And he will now

probably never have any problems with HIV, " his doctor Gero Huetter told

Reuters. Brown now lives in the Bay Area, and suffers from some mild

neurological difficulties after the operation. " It makes me very happy, " he says

of the incredible cure.

The development of anti-retroviral drugs in the 1990s was the first sign of hope

in the epidemic, transforming the disease from a sudden killer to a more

manageable illness that could be lived with for decades. But still, the

miraculous cocktail of drugs is expensive, costing $13 billion a year in

developing countries alone, according to Reuters. That figure is expected to

triple in 20 years--raising the worry that more sick people will not be able to

afford treatment.

Although Brown's story is remarkable, scientists were quick to point out that

bone marrow transplants can be fatal, and there's no way Brown's situation can

be generalized to the 33.3 million people around the world living with HIV. The

discovery does encourage " cure research, " according to Dr. Jay Levy, who

co-discovered HIV thirty years ago, something that many people did not even

think was possible years ago.

You can watch Brown talk about his cure in this CBS video report.

(Brown: AP/ Risberg)