Post by Lone Wanderer on Mar 6, 2019 4:48:28 GMT
A second person has experienced sustained remission from HIV-1 after ceasing treatment, reports a new article. The case report comes ten years after the first such case, known as the 'Berlin Patient.'
The researchers caution that the approach is not appropriate as a standard HIV treatment due to the toxicity of chemotherapy, but it offers hope for new treatment strategies that might eliminate HIV altogether.
"Continuing our research, we need to understand if we could knock out this receptor in people with HIV, which may be possible with gene therapy," said Professor Gupta.
"The treatment we used was different from that used on the Berlin Patient, because it did not involve radiotherapy. Its effectiveness underlines the importance of developing new strategies based on preventing CCR5 expression," said co-author Dr Ian Gabriel (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust).
"While it is too early to say with certainty that our patient is now cured of HIV, and doctors will continue to monitor his condition, the apparent success of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers hope in the search for a long-awaited cure for HIV/AIDS," said Professor Eduardo Olavarria (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London).
Source and full article
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190305153644.htm
The researchers caution that the approach is not appropriate as a standard HIV treatment due to the toxicity of chemotherapy, but it offers hope for new treatment strategies that might eliminate HIV altogether.
"Continuing our research, we need to understand if we could knock out this receptor in people with HIV, which may be possible with gene therapy," said Professor Gupta.
"The treatment we used was different from that used on the Berlin Patient, because it did not involve radiotherapy. Its effectiveness underlines the importance of developing new strategies based on preventing CCR5 expression," said co-author Dr Ian Gabriel (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust).
"While it is too early to say with certainty that our patient is now cured of HIV, and doctors will continue to monitor his condition, the apparent success of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers hope in the search for a long-awaited cure for HIV/AIDS," said Professor Eduardo Olavarria (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London).
Source and full article
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190305153644.htm