Man cured of HIV after stem cell transplant in Germany, researchers say
- The 53-year-old, known as the Düsseldorf Patient, is just the third person worldwide to be cured of the condition using the stem cell treatment
- The patient said he had decided to give up some of his private life to support research fundraising and fight the stigmatisation of HIV with his story
A man has been cured of HIV after a stem cell transplant, researchers say.
The 53-year-old, known as the Düsseldorf Patient, is just the third person worldwide to be cured of the condition using the treatment.
He has been off antiretroviral medication (which involves taking drugs to suppress the virus) for four years without relapse.
As in the case of the other two patients (Berlin Patient and London Patient), the transplant was conducted to treat an acute disorder of the blood, in his case leukaemia, which had developed in addition to the HIV infection.
Almost 10 years after the stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, and more than four years after ending the HIV therapy, the patient is now in good health.
The man, who was diagnosed in 2008, said: “I still remember very well the sentence of my family doctor: ‘Don’t take it so hard. We will experience together that HIV can be cured.’
