In a New York Patient

March 17, 2023 3:23 PM

1st woman given stem cell transplant to cure HIV is still virus-free 5 years later
posted by tiny frying pan (5 comments total)

Happy, hopeful tears.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 4:14 PM on March 17, 2023

And from umbilical cord blood?!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 4:17 PM on March 17, 2023

For those who don't read to the end, this is a treatment that is only appropriate for HIV patients who also have a life threatening cancer, as it involves destruction of the immune system to treat the cancer prior to the stem cell transplant.
posted by mark k at 9:27 PM on March 17, 2023 [4 favorites]

Yes, it's itself a life-threatening treatment, though not as dangerous as it was (for other types of illnesses) 30 years ago.
posted by praemunire at 11:25 PM on March 17, 2023

Not as dangerous, still can absolutely kill you and will likely render you about as immunosuppressed as an AIDS patient for at least a few years until your B cells recover from their memory wipe and your T cells settle down from being suppressed in lieu of graft vs. hosting.

This is really cool and I hope even better treatments are coming.
posted by sibboleth at 9:54 AM on March 18, 2023 [2 favorites]