The Cure to HIV
Written by Audrey Bantug
Edited by Aryss Hearne
Jan 18, 2021
Edited by Aryss Hearne
Jan 18, 2021
Over the last 40 years, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, better known as HIV, has taken millions of lives and impacted countless others. There is currently no established cure for HIV or its more advanced stage, AIDS. However, in March 2020, Adam Castillejo went public as the “London Patient,” the second person to achieve HIV remission, after Timothy Ray Brown in 2010. Both men underwent a stem-cell transplantation via bone marrow transplant. Sadly, Timothy died on September 29, 2020. Fortunately, though, Adam’s recovery provides evidence for a cure to HIV.
Adam had been living with HIV for several years before being diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells. He subsequently received the aforementioned bone marrow transplant, replacing the cancerous white blood cells with healthy ones. But there was something extra special about this treatment. See, the goal of Adam’s transplant was not just to treat his cancer, but also to hopefully render him invulnerable from HIV. These same white blood cells also happen to be the main target of HIV, which infects them through CCR5, a protein on the cell’s surface. Adam’s bone marrow donor had a mutation in this CCR5 gene, resulting in white blood cells lacking CCR5. This means Adam became effectively immune to HIV infection!
Over the next two and a half years, Adam was closely monitored by his doctors for any signs of his HIV infection returning. A study published in The Lancet this March provided an update for his condition. Adam underwent a battery of tests, including viral load assays, biopsies, polymerase chain reaction assays, and antibody tests. This was to check for any vestiges of the virus all throughout his system. After each check-up, the levels of HIV steadily decreased for nearly every test. Thirty months after the transplant, researchers detected virtually no HIV in Adam’s body.
What does this mean? Do we finally have a cure? Well, yes and no. So far, this treatment has only worked for two people on Earth, only one of whom is still alive. Adam still undergoes regular tests to ensure the long-term implications of his remission. Scientists will need to repeat the treatment with many more HIV patients before they know anything for sure. There’s a lot of work to be done before we have a definitive cure for this virus. This is a great start, though; we’re one step closer to saving millions of lives from HIV!
Works Cited
Ebrahimji, Alisha, and Jacqueline Howard. “The First Known Person to Be Cured of HIV Has Died of Cancer.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Sept. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/09/30/health/timothy-ray-brown-hiv-cure-cancer-death-trnd/index.html
Gupta, Ravindra Kumar, et al. “Evidence for HIV-1 Cure after CCR5Δ32/Δ32 Allogeneic Haemopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation 30 Months Post Analytical Treatment Interruption: a Case Report.” The Lancet HIV, vol. 7, no. 5, 10 Mar. 2020, doi:10.1016/s2352-3018(20)30069-2.
Yu, Gina, and Amy Woodyatt. “Second Person Cured of HIV Is Still Free of Active Virus Two Years On.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Mar. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/health/hiv-treatment-cure-london-intl-scli-gbr/index.html.