{"id":15627,"date":"2019-03-05T12:01:20","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T12:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cells4life.com\/?p=15627"},"modified":"2019-03-15T12:36:12","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T12:36:12","slug":"hiv-undetectable-after-stem-cell-transplant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cells4life.com\/us\/2019\/03\/hiv-undetectable-after-stem-cell-transplant\/","title":{"rendered":"HIV \u2018undetectable\u2019 after stem cell transplant"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_color=”#009fc4″ text_font=”|300|||||||” text_font_size=”20px” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px”]\n

A UK patient has entered remission from HIV for the past 18 months, after receiving a stem cell transplant<\/a><\/strong>. Although it is too early to say the patient has been \u2018cured\u2019, researchers say the condition is now \u2018undetectable\u2019 in the patient\u2019s body.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″]\n

The news marks only the second time where HIV has been overcome by treatment, and offers hope that a long-awaited cure is on the horizon.<\/p>\n

How does it work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The London patient received bone-marrow-derived stem cells from a donor with a mutated copy of the CCR5 receptor \u2013 a receptor which is used by the HIV virus to enter the body\u2019s cells.<\/p>\n

The mutated version of CCR5 prevents HIV from penetrating these cells, which means it is therefore unable to spread.<\/p>\n

The patient received the transplant after chemotherapy for advanced Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma, which means their immune system was reconstituted after engraftment.<\/p>\n

18 months later, the patient now has the same genetic mutation and the HIV virus is no longer able to enter new cells.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_number_counter _builder_version=”3.17.2″ title=”million people diagnosed with HIV” number=”37″ percent_sign=”off” number_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font=”|300|||||||” number_font=”|300|||||||” background_color=”#bd144f” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_number_counter _builder_version=”3.17.2″ title=”million children diagnosed with HIV” number=”2″ percent_sign=”off” number_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font=”|300|||||||” number_font=”|300|||||||” background_color=”#bd144f” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_number_counter _builder_version=”3.17.2″ title=”may develop AIDS-related cancer” number=”40″ number_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font=”|300|||||||” number_font=”|300|||||||” background_color=”#bd144f” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″]\n

Stem cells and HIV<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Today\u2019s story is not the first case where a haematopoetic stem cell transplant has diminished HIV\/Aids in a patient.<\/p>\n

In 2009, doctors treated Timothy Brown in Berlin for leukaemia, and likewise went into remission for both his cancer and HIV diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Until recently, it was uncertain whether the \u2018Berlin patient\u2019 was an anomaly. Now that similar results have been achieved in London, however, it is more likely that doctors could administer a HIV \u2018cure\u2019 to other patients who also have a blood disorder.<\/p>\n

Cord blood and HIV<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To this end, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington launched a cord blood clinical trial last year with the hope of using haematopoietic stem cells to \u2018cure\u2019 HIV.<\/p>\n

As with the London transplant, the therapy is only available to patients who are diagnosed with blood cancer and comes after an intensive round of chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

It does, however, suggest that haematopoietic stem cells \u2013\u00a0 derived from either bone marrow or cord blood \u2013 could be the key to unlocking a HIV cure in the next few years.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.2″ background_color=”#eeeeee” custom_padding=”20px|20px|0px|20px”]\n

References<\/strong><\/h3>\n