What happened: On February 15, it was reported that a US patient with leukaemia became the first woman to date to be cured of HIV after she received a stem cell transplant from a donor who was resistant to the virus causing AIDS. President of the International AIDS Society, Sharon Lewin, said, is quoted by RTE, “Well, this, first of all, tells us or confirms that a cure is indeed possible, and scientists need to keep working to find a cure.”
Details: At the same time, RTE’s report highlighted that the patient was reported with HIV in 2013 and in 2017, she was diagnosed with leukaemia. Subsequently, the lead doctor on the panel said, “This case tells us is that if you can make cells resistant to HIV, you can stop the virus coming back.”
More: The HIV stem cell transplant is part of a US-backed study which is led by Dr Yvonne Bryson of the University of California and aims to cure 25 people with HIV. It is pertinent to mention that a stem cell transplant is done by transferring stem cells from one person to another.
