4 ms·

The existing research of the berlin patient (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Ray_Brown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Ray_Brown) indicates the like

by pgrote 8y ago

The existing research of the berlin patient (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Ray_Brown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Ray_Brown) indicates the likely elimination of HIV was graft vs. host disease (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graft-versus-host_disease#HIV_elimination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graft-versus-host_disease#HIV_...). The NY Times doesn't mention graft vs. host, but the doctor treating the berlin patient says no one else was cured undergoing the treatment the berlin patient underwent. According to records, 6 additional people were thought to be cured. I couldn't find any follow-up on them. (https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431244-400-immune-war-with-donor-cells-after-transplant-may-wipe-out-hiv/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431244-400-immune-w...)

h3throw 8y ago
Feels a bit like correlation vs causation. It's unclear what the mechanism of action in GvH would be and it's also clear in this case that GvH was not necessary.
rincebrain 8y ago
[1] suggests this was also true here, but AFAICT the other patients they've tried this on to see if it was just graft versus host all wound up relapsing (I swear there was another study of this negative outcome with n>2, but I'm not turning it up, so maybe I'm full of it). [2] Though [3] claims another set of experiments with this resulted in 5 cured/undetectable patients and one remission who was allegedly an odd duck out in terms of treatment (cord blood versus bone marrow), [1] - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/05/london-patient-becomes-second-man-to-be-cleared-of-aids-virus https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/05/london-patie... [2] - https://www.nature.com/news/hopes-of-hiv-cure-in-boston-patients-dashed-1.14324 https://www.nature.com/news/hopes-of-hiv-cure-in-boston-pati... [3] - https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2707334/mechanisms-contribute-profound-reduction-hiv-1-reservoir-after-allogeneic-stem https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2707334/mechanisms-c...

by pgrote 8y ago

h3throw 8y ago

Feels a bit like correlation vs causation. It's unclear what the mechanism of action in GvH would be and it's also clear in this case that GvH was not necessary.

rincebrain 8y ago

[1] suggests this was also true here, but AFAICT the other patients they've tried this on to see if it was just graft versus host all wound up relapsing (I swear there was another study of this negative outcome with n>2, but I'm not turning it up, so maybe I'm full of it). [2] Though [3] claims another set of experiments with this resulted in 5 cured/undetectable patients and one remission who was allegedly an odd duck out in terms of treatment (cord blood versus bone marrow), [1] - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/05/london-patient-becomes-second-man-to-be-cleared-of-aids-virus https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/05/london-patie... [2] - https://www.nature.com/news/hopes-of-hiv-cure-in-boston-patients-dashed-1.14324 https://www.nature.com/news/hopes-of-hiv-cure-in-boston-pati... [3] - https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2707334/mechanisms-contribute-profound-reduction-hiv-1-reservoir-after-allogeneic-stem https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2707334/mechanisms-c...