Kent Man Becomes Oldest Patient Cured of HIV After Stem Cell Transplant
A 66-year-old man from Kent has stunned doctors by being cured of HIV — all thanks to a stem cell transplant originally aimed at treating his leukaemia.
Life-Saving Transplant Also Killed HIV
Three and a half years ago, medics decided to replace the man’s cancerous blood cells with those from a donor naturally resistant to HIV. The lucky donor’s cells lacked the receptors HIV needs to infect, effectively wiping out the virus in the patient’s body.
‘City of Hope’ Patient Defies the Odds
Now dubbed the “City of Hope” patient, after the California hospital where he was treated, the man has been in remission from both leukaemia and HIV for 17 months. This remarkable case adds to just four such cures worldwide, making him the oldest person known to have beaten the virus this way.
“When I was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, like many others, I thought it was a death sentence,” he said. “I never imagined I’d live to see the day when I’d be HIV-free.”
Hope for Millions Living with HIV
The breakthrough follows earlier successes, including Timothy Ray Brown, the original “Berlin patient” cured in 2007, and the first woman cured in New York earlier this year. The president-elect of the International Aids Society hailed the cure as the “holy grail” that offers “continued hope and inspiration” to the millions living with HIV worldwide.
This rare success underscores the potential of stem cell transplants in tackling HIV, sparking fresh optimism in the fight against the global epidemic.
