EXCLUSIVE: First man cured of HIV dies of cancer
chuks oti
Sep 30, 2020
The first person to be cured of HIV, Timothy Ray Brown - known as the "Berlin PatientÔÇØ - has died after a battle with cancer, the International Aids Society (IAS) announced Wednesday.
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Brown made medical history and became a symbol of hope for the tens of millions of people living with the virus that causes AIDS when he was cured more than a decade ago.
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He had been living with a recurrence of leukaemia for several months and received hospice care at his home in Palm Springs, California.
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"On behalf of all its members... the IAS sends its condolences to Timothy's partner, Tim, and his family and friends,ÔÇØ said IAS President Adeeba Kamarulzaman.
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"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.ÔÇØ
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Brown was diagnosed with HIV while was studying in Berlin in 1995. A decade later, he was diagnosed with leukaemia, a cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
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To treat his leukaemia, his doctor at the Free University of Berlin used a stem cell transplant from a donor who had a rare genetic mutation that gave him natural resistance to HIV, hoping it may wipe out both diseases.
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It took two painful and dangerous procedures, but it was a success: in 2008 Brown was declared free of the two ailments, and was initially dubbed "the Berlin PatientÔÇØ at a medical conference to preserve his anonymity.
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Two years later, he decided to break his silence and went on to become a public figure, giving speeches and interviews and starting his own foundation.
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"I am living proof that there could be a cure for AIDS,ÔÇØ he told AFP in 2012. "It's very wonderful, being cured of HIV.ÔÇØ
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'Champion'
Ten years after Brown was cured, a second HIV sufferer - dubbed "the London PatientÔÇØ - was revealed to be in remission 19 months after undergoing a similar procedure.
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The patient, Adam Castillejo, is currently HIV-free. In August a California woman was reported to have no traces of HIV despite not using anti-retroviral treatment.
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It is thought she may be the first person to be cured of HIV without undergoing the risky bone marrow treatment.
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Sharon Lewin, president-elect of the IAS and director of the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, praised Brown as a "champion and advocateÔÇØ of a cure for HIV.
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"It is the hope of the scientific community that one day we can honour his legacy with a safe, cost-effective and widely accessible strategy to achieve HIV remission and curs using gene edition or techniques that boost immune control,ÔÇØ she said.
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— chuks oti