US Patient Becomes 1st Woman To Be Cured Of HIV After Rare Stem-cell Treatment

A US patient, of mixed race, becomes the first woman and third person ever to be cured of HIV, scientists announced on Tuesday

In a major breakthrough, a US-based patient became the first woman ever to have been cured of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) after undergoing a novel treatment involving an umbilical blood transplant. The woman, of mixed race, also became the third person ever to be cured of the fatal virus, scientists announced on Tuesday. The rare stem-cell treatment was carried out by scientists at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

The woman, dubbed as 'New York patient' to secure her identity, has reportedly shown no trace of the virus after 14 months since the transplant. The therapy also led to remission from blood cancer or leukemia, which she developed in March 2014 due to HIV, New York Times reported. Apart from the transmission of blood from the umbilical cord, the woman also recieved partially matched blood stem cells from a first-degree relative, which allowed her immune system to rejigger, experts told reporters.

'Magical' breakthrough treatment for HIV, say experts

According to findings of the study shared at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Denver, scientists now believe the therapy can be a step forward for the treatment of patients of colour infected with HIV. The fact that the blood is drawn from the cord blood of the newborns suggests that they are "more adaptable" than an adult stem cell, Dr. Koen van Besien, transplant service director at Weill Cornell Medicine explained while speaking to Times.

Speaking of the impact of the breakthrough research, Dr. Steven Deeks, a lecturer on AIDS from the University of California, stated that the treatment as an "attractive option" compared to other therapies undertaken for such patients.

"There is something magical about these cells and something magical perhaps about the cord blood in general that provides extra benefit," Dr. Steven Deeks from University of California told the NY Times, adding that "the fact that she's a mixed-race and that she's a woman, that is really important scientifically and really important in terms of community."

Only 11% of 38 million global HIV patients make it to trials for cure

Globally, at least 38 million people are infected with the fatal Human Immunodeficiency Virus and women account for more than half of it. Unfortunately, only 11% of women are represented in clinical trials for a cure.

Currently, at least 73% of the total patients worldwide are said to be receiving active treatment through antiretroviral drugs that can to an extent control the spread of the virus. Most patients are not deemed fit to undergo a bone marrow transplant, as the procedure poses risky, is invasive, and is highly expensive.

As per NY Times, two other patients have been cured of HIV, Timothy Ray Brown from Berlin who remained virus-free for 12 years before passing away in 2020; Adam Castillejo, who was cured in 2019. Both patients received bone marrow from donors blocking mutation of the HIV.