Doctors presented the first long-term results of treatment for HIV using stem cells obtained from...
Stem cell transplantation has already shown itsEfficacy: Three cases of HIV cure with this method have been previously reported: the "Berlin", "London" and "Düsseldorf" patients. In all these cases, donor cells were obtained from "matched" adults carrying two copies of the CCR5-delta32 mutation. This is a natural mutation that makes a person resistant to HIV by preventing the virus from entering cells.
Only about 1% of Caucasianshomozygous for the CCR5-delta32 mutation, it is even rarer in other populations. Because of this, finding a "matching" donor for treatment is extremely difficult. The New York patient, who the researchers identify as "mixed-race," was transplanted with CCR5-delta32/32-bearing cord blood cells to try to treat both leukemia and HIV at the same time.
Cord blood cells were transfused withstem cells from one of the patient's relatives to increase the chances of success of the procedure. The transplant led the patient to remission of HIV and leukemia, which has been going on for more than four years, doctors say. Three years after transplantation, the patient stopped taking antiviral drugs against HIV, and for more than 30 months after stopping treatment, all tests give a negative result for HIV.
The HIV epidemic is racially diverse andit is extremely rare for people of a different skin color or race to find a sufficiently suitable unrelated adult donor. The use of cord blood cells expands the options for people of all backgrounds living with HIV who need transplants to treat other diseases.
Yvonne Bryson, study co-author at UCLA
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