New hope for HIV cure as third patient shows signs of remission after stem cell transplant
ThePrintFeb 21, 2023
Researchers have announced a man in Dusseldorf, Germany, has been cured of HIV through a stem cell transplant. The patient is only the third person to have been cured of the condition using the treatment and the fifth individual in history.
Referred to as "the Dusseldorf patient" to protect his privacy, news surrounding the individual's successful treatment was first announced in 2019, however, researchers could not confirm he had been officially cured at the time.
Although not easily scalable, this treatment is still a relevant strategy to potentially help mass remission. With three patients now cured, in the long fight against HIV, AIDS, and cancer, another case of viral remission provides reason for hope for the future.
Due to the specific nature of the treatment and its high risk, it's unlikely that bone-marrow replacement will be rolled out on a larger scale to those who do not have leukemia. While the news is regardless positive, the road to fully curing HIV still promises to be long and difficult — if not impossible.
There is a 40% chance that before 2032 a vaccine against HIV-1 will be approved by the USA, UK, EU, or Canada, according to the Metaculus prediction community.