BBC NEWS | Health | Bone marrow cures HIV patient
Rated • 43 reviews • science, medicine • bbc.co.uk
So, with the disclaimer that nothing is to be taken as medical advice I thought I'd explain this story a little bit. While exciting for this German gentleman, this 'discovery' does not offer hope for a broad cure for HIV. There are studies that offer far more future hope for those current living with the virus than this particular account. Now for a little explanation:
HIV uses at least a few proteins on the surface of T Cells to gain entrance. Think of them as door handles. Perhaps the most prominent protein it uses is one called CCR5. Looking at prostitute populations in epidemic areas several years ago led to the discovery of people with mutations in the gene that encodes the CCR5 protein. The "misformed" protein made these individuals resistant to HIV infection. The individual in the story had both leukemia and HIV. He needed a bone marrow transplant. In such a case, your the entirety of your hematopoietic stem cells (which produce all your white and red blood cells) are wiped out and replaced with someone else's cells. They specifically found a donor for this individual who not only was a bone marrow match but who also had the CCR5 mutation. Now all of this guy's T Cells will have the mutated protein and will be resistant to his HIV infection.
Unfortunately only something like less than 10% of all people in the world have the "misformed" CCR5 protein. It is already very difficult to find a bone marrow donor who is a match for individuals. In using this solely to try to cure an HIV patient the pool would be just 10% of what it is even under ideal circumstances. This, along with other obstacles, means that a bone marrow transplant simply will not be an option for cure in the vast, vast majority of people living with HIV.
Still it is interesting news and encouraging. Personally, I truly believe that a cure for HIV is coming.
