"There's Still Hope"

December 1 is near and people of the world marks this date to commemorate and give strength to people who are a victim of this incurable disease, the World AIDS Day.

While browsing for some techie gadgets and stuff on the net I found this article from the popsci.com. Entitled “A Cure for AIDS”, could this be the answer… could this be the cure that people with AIDS are waiting for. To others it maybe impossible to hear but for the affected ones this gives them hope and faith.

According to the article an American ex-pat national with AIDS was just cured but by accident while treating his leukemia. The American ex-pat was under going a very expensive, complicated and risky procedure. He was suffering from leukemia as well as a full-blown case of AIDS. The man’s case was so desperate that these German doctors decided to give him a bone-marrow transplant. According to the article the doctors use blood stem cells from a donor who was immune to HIV. The case was discovered 10 years ago doctors find out that few of their gay male patients never developed AIDS, despite engaging in risky sex with hundreds of partners. It turned out that they had a rare mutation called Delta 32 that blocks a molecule in HIV from adhering to the cell surface. Delta 32 must be inherited from both parents; it occurs at a rate of roughly 1 percent in European populations (it's more common in Northern Europe and much much, rarer--basically unheard of--in Africa and Asia), so it was difficult but not impossible for the doctors to find a donor in Germany who fit the bill. So on with the treatment and the patient was asked to stop taking his antiretroviral AIDS medication for the time being while undergoing the procedure. Understanding that once he stopped taking his medication he would start again to stop the rising of virus in his bloodstream. To their amazed, it never rose and its been close to two years since the transplant and still no traces of HIV in the blood or brain tissues.

With this breakthrough at least there’s a start for other doctors and scientist to study more and dig deeper on how to fully cure this incurable disease. Never lose hope and keep the faith alive.


source: popsci.com






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