Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
William Mata

US man, 66, becomes fourth patient seemingly cured of HIV

This electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows a human T cell, in blue, under attack by HIV, in yellow, the virus that causes AIDS

(Picture: AP)

A fourth person in history has been cured of HIV after the patient was given a remedy for leukaemia and went into remission.

The 66-year-old man, who does not wish to be identified, received a stem cell transplant to treat the cancer type three and a half years ago - and US doctors are astonished.

The man, who was treated in California, had his cancerous red blood cells replaced with those of a donor in 2019. The donor’s cells happened to be resistant to HIV.

"When I was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, like many others, I thought it was a death sentence,” the man said in a statement.

"I never thought I would live to see the day that I no longer have HIV."

The man is thought to be the oldest patient of the four so far believed to have been cured in this way.

The first was the "Berlin patient" Timothy Ray Brown in 2007 while earlier this year, doctors in New York reported they had cured the first woman of HIV.

The result was celebrated at the International Aids Conference (IAS), which is happening this week in Montreal.

Doctors who presented the data ahead of the International Aids Society’s (IAS) 2022 meeting said the case opened up the potential for older patients with HIV and blood cancer to access the treatment, particularly as the stem cell donor was not a family member.

Describing a cure as the “holy grail”, Sharon Lewin, president-elect of the IAS, said the case provided “continued hope ... and inspiration” for people with HIV and the wider scientific community, although it was unlikely to be an option for most people with HIV due to the risks of the procedure.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.