These Germans Cured AIDS

While treating a patient that had both leukemia and a complete case of AIDS, the physicians decided to try a little something different. They did a bone marrow transplant using blood stem cells from a donor that was immune to HIV. About 10 years ago, doctors discovered that a few of their male patients never contracted AIDS, despite engaging in risky sex with hundreds of partners. It was found that these people had a rare mutation called Delta 32 that blocks a molecule in HIV from adhering to the cell, an immunity. This mutation must be inherited from both parents and it occurs in around 1 percent of European populations. However, this mutation is pretty much unheard of in Africa and Asia. This made it difficult to find a donor in Germany, of course, but it was done.

The patient in question was asked to stop taking his antiretrovirus AIDS medication until after the transplant, when the virus levels in his bloodstream rose. To the doctors' surprise, however, no traces of HIV were found post-transplant. This was a cure for this particular man's AIDS.

Bone marrow transplants are extremely dangerous and painful. The procedure involves essentially wiping out the patient's immune system with chemotherapy and radiation. This brings with it a 30 percent mortality rate, so some people would prefer to stick to the antiretroviral meds. Finding a good donor with the Delta 32 mutation is not always possible and is usually patient specific. If the donated cells are not taken from someone with similar leukocyte antigens, then it is likely that the transplant will be rejected an cause a severe disease.

Over time, this procedure can be adapted and a better, safer path to curing those with AIDS may become clear. One thought, through refinement of genetic understanding and immunology, would be to take a "snipping" of DNA that codes for the Delta 32 mutation in the blood cells and transplant them into the patient, allowing their OWN cells correct the autoimmune deficiency. this would be a major push toward curing a myriad of problems, but such approaches are decades away.