A city charity has described the possibility of another person living with HIV being cured as “mind-blowing.”
Doctors have revealed a 66-year-old man, who has been living with HIV since the 1980s, has seemingly been 'cured' after a bone marrow transplant. The man, known as the “City of Hope” patient after the hospital where he received his treatment, is only the fourth such case in the world.
The man, who has been suffering from leukaemia for three years, was given a bone marrow transplant from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus. The patient was closely monitored and levels of HIV became undetectable in his body. He has now been in remission for more than 17 months and has stopped taking HIV medication.
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Doctors believe he is the fourth such case to be cured. The first time was “Berlin patient” Timothy Ray Brown in 2007. The “City of Hope” patient is the oldest patient to be treated in this way and has lived with HIV the longest out of the cases. Speaking at the 24th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022), Dr Jana Dickter, an infectious disease doctor, said: “We were thrilled to let him know that his HIV is in remission and he no longer needs to take antiretroviral therapy that he had been on for over 30 years.”
However, Dr Dickter emphasised bone marrow transplants are not going to transform HIV treatment as "it's a complex procedure with significant potential side effects" and therefore "not a suitable option for most people living with HIV".
Describing the research as 'mind-blowing', Sahir House’s CEO, Anthony Hopkinson also warned HIV remains a “global battle and one which is far from over.”
He said: “Over the past 40 years, HIV/AIDS has switched from being a fatal disease to a manageable chronic illness with treatment. This progress is attributable in large part to our global scientific community whose ground-breaking advances have led to the development of safe, effective antiretroviral medications and effective interventions to prevent HIV acquisition and transmission.
"Reading the literature available, it seems this particular case has already inspired researchers to look at targeting proteins on the surface of white blood cells using gene therapy as a potential treatment. For a layperson such as myself, it's mind-blowing stuff.”
Sahir House has been offering HIV support, prevention, information and training across Merseyside since 1985, making it the city’s longest continuously running LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing charity. One of its main aims is to help achieve zero HIV transmissions by 2030.
Mr Hopkinson added: “We’ve consistently met the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target. This means we’re diagnosing over 90% of people who live with HIV, over 90% of those who are diagnosed are getting treatment, and over 90% of those who are treated have quantities of HIV so small it is undetectable. I think we have good reason to be hopeful that we will achieve the goal - subject to continued adequate funding and leadership."
With there being 38.4m people living with HIV in 2021 and 650k people dying of AIDS-related illnesses in 2021, according to UNAIDS, Mr Hopkinson emphasised this is a “global battle and one which is far from over".
He added: “Thankfully, HIV testing is up, people living with HIV are getting on treatment sooner and people continue to practice safe sex in all its forms. As a result, we’ve seen the number of HIV infections decline which tells us that we’re definitely on the right track. If we keep up the pace and continue to work together as a community, we can end HIV transmissions for all.”
Mr Hopkinson emphasised in order for the charity to achieve its goal, the public has a very important role to play. He urged them to:
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Test often: “Knowing your status means you can take control of your health while helping reduce transmissions within our community.
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Treat early: “We know that treatment can result in achieving an undetectable viral load, meaning it reduces the adverse health impacts of HIV while preventing the onward transmission of HIV.”
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Stay safe: “Choose an HIV prevention strategy that works for you, such as condoms or PrEP etc Staying safe reduces the stress and anxiety that can sometimes be associated with sex, and it helps prevent the transmission of HIV.”
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