The first patient cured of HIV and Aids, Timothy Ray Brown, has died from cancer.
Ray Brown commonly referred to as “the Berlin patient” was given a bone marrow transplant from a donor who is HIV resistant.
The transplant meant that Mr. Brown longer needed anti-viral drugs and remained free of the deadly virus, which leads to AIDs.
The International Aids Society said Brown gave the world hope that the cure of HIV is possible.
Brown, 54, was diagnosed with HIV in 1995. Then in 2007, he developed a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia.
His HIV treatment involved destroying his marrow, which produces the cancerous cells, and then having a bone marrow transplant.
The transfer came from a donor that had a rare mutation in part of the DNA called the CCR5 gene.
HIV resistance
CCR5 is a set of genetic instructions that build the doorway that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) walks through to infect cells.
Mutations to CCR5 essentially lock the door and give people resistance to HIV.
After Brown’s treatment, levels of HIV in his blood fell to undetectable levels and he no longer needed anti-retroviral therapy. He was in effect “cured”.
But leukemia that led to the HIV cure, re-occurred earlier this year and spread to his brain and spinal cord.
“It is with great sadness that I announce that Timothy passed away… surrounded by myself and friends, after a five-month battle with leukemia,” his partner Tim Hoeffgen posted on Facebook.
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“Tim committed his life’s work to tell his story about his HIV cure and became an ambassador of hope,” he added.
Brown’s cure was too risky and aggressive to be used routinely – it remains principally a cancer treatment.
However, Brown’s story inspired scientists, patients, and the world that a cure could eventually be found.
Following Brown’s death, the International Aids Society (IAS) said it was mourning with “a profoundly heavy heart”.
“We owe Timothy and his doctor, Gero Hutter, a great deal of gratitude for opening the door for scientists to explore the concept that a cure for HIV is possible,” said Prof Adeeba Kamarulzaman, the IAS president said.
Related: How A HIV Positive Patient Was Cured Of The Virus
