— You may have recently heard of the first person to be cured of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Timothy Ray Brown was HIV-positive and also had acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer that affects white blood cells. To treat the leukemia, doctors first used radiation to kill virtually all of his white blood cells – a dangerous procedure since it is these cells that make up the immune system and protect us from disease-causing viruses and bacteria. A bone marrow transplant was then performed to give Brown the stem cells necessary to develop new white blood cells and eventually regain a healthy immune system. Doctors used this bone marrow transplant not only to treat Brown’s leukemia but to also tackle his HIV infection. HIV can infect some of the white blood cells that grow out of bone marrow. When choosing a bone marrow donor for Brown, doctors selected an individual who had a rare genetic mutation that prevents most strains of HIV from infecting their white blood cells. After receiving a successful transplant from this donor, Brown now has a new immune system full of HIV-resistant cells. Since his transplant he has not needed any anti-retrovirals, the medications used to treat HIV/AIDS, and still no HIV can be detected in his blood. Because Brown has been stably HIV-free for three years, doctors think that he is cured! But what does that mean for the 30 million other people infected with HIV around the world? Continue reading The man who was cured of HIV