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Bone marrow 'cures HIV patient' | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Doctors in Germany say a patient appears to have been cured of HIV by a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had a genetic resistance to HIV. | |
The researchers in Berlin said the man, who suffered from leukaemia and HIV, had shown no sign of either disease since the transplant two years ago. | |
The result is expected to encourage further interest in gene therapy as a treatment for Aids. | The result is expected to encourage further interest in gene therapy as a treatment for Aids. |
So far all efforts to find a cure have been unsuccessful. | So far all efforts to find a cure have been unsuccessful. |
Genetic mutation | Genetic mutation |
Berlin's Charite hospital said the 42-year-old patient was an American living in Berlin who has not been identified. | Berlin's Charite hospital said the 42-year-old patient was an American living in Berlin who has not been identified. |
He had been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes Aids for more than a decade and also had leukaemia. | He had been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes Aids for more than a decade and also had leukaemia. |
The clinic said since the transplant, tests on his bone marrow, blood and other organ tissues have all been clean. | The clinic said since the transplant, tests on his bone marrow, blood and other organ tissues have all been clean. |
"More than 20 months after the successful transplant, no HIV can be detected in the patient," the clinic said in a statement. | "More than 20 months after the successful transplant, no HIV can be detected in the patient," the clinic said in a statement. |
But leading HIV researcher, Dr Andrew Badley, of the Mayo Clinic in the American state of Minnesota, has warned a lot more tests are needed to prove the man is clear of HIV. | But leading HIV researcher, Dr Andrew Badley, of the Mayo Clinic in the American state of Minnesota, has warned a lot more tests are needed to prove the man is clear of HIV. |
Roughly one in 1,000 Europeans and Americans have an inherited genetic mutation, which prevents HIV from attaching itself to cells. | Roughly one in 1,000 Europeans and Americans have an inherited genetic mutation, which prevents HIV from attaching itself to cells. |
Two million people die of Aids every year and the virus is estimated to have infected 33 million people worldwide. | Two million people die of Aids every year and the virus is estimated to have infected 33 million people worldwide. |