Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: IE
Context: A sixth person, known as the Geneva patient, has likely been cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant for leukaemia. His virus level remained undetectable 20 months after discontinuing antiretroviral therapy.
- However, his cells are still susceptible to HIV, leaving the possibility of the virus returning.
What is a stem cell transplant?
A stem cell transplant (SCT) is a medical procedure in which healthy stem cells are infused into a patient to replace damaged or diseased stem cells. Stem cells are special human cells that can replicate and differentiate into various types of cells in the body. The transplant aims to restore the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells, boost the immune system, and treat certain diseases like leukaemia and lymphoma.
Can SCT be used for treating all HIV patients?
Stem cell transplant is unlikely to become a routine treatment for HIV due to challenges in finding matching donors and the mutation being mainly found in Caucasians. Stem cell transplantation also comes with risks, such as the risk of patient rejection and the virus finding other ways to infect cells.
Why Caucasians are able to recover while other races are not?
The recovery of HIV through stem cell transplantation has been more commonly observed in Caucasians because a specific gene mutation known as CCR5 delta 32 is more prevalent in this racial group. People who inherit two copies of this mutation (one from each parent) are naturally resistant to certain strains of HIV due to the lack of receptors on their immune cells that the virus uses to enter and infect the cells.
Effective antiretroviral therapy remains the primary treatment for HIV, suppressing the virus and allowing CD4 immune cell count to bounce back. Although it doesn’t remove the virus completely, it reduces viral particles to undetectable levels and prevents transmission to others.
Other patients who have achieved HIV remission through stem cell transplantation include the Berlin patient, the London patient, and the New York patient. Stem cell therapy using umbilical cord and adult stem cells may make transplants possible in people from other races as well.
