Major Breakthrough in Health Technology : Woman cured of HIV after Stem Cell Transplant
The disease caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is considered incurable, but gradually the situation is changing. Recently, American scientists have cured a woman battling HIV. This is the third such case in the world. Earlier, two men were brought out of the clutches of this deadly disease.
How was the woman treated?
The new technique used the blood of the donor’s umbilical cord (umbilical cord). Scientists have treated an HIV patient with the help of a new stem cell (cell) transplant. In this technique, the blood of the donor’s umbilical cord (umbilical cord) was used. Stem cells were extracted from this blood, which treated the victim.
(Stem cells are of great use in those serious diseases in which the cells of the body are damaged. In this case, stem cells help to regenerate those cells, which leads to disease.)
In traditional treatment, stem cells are extracted from the bone marrow. But this is dangerous for HIV patients because only those who are cancer patients are treated with this technique and they have no other way left.
Apart from this, in the treatment done through bone marrow, it is necessary to match the blood cells of donor and receiver, but it is not so in the umbilical cord. In this method of treatment, even if the blood cells of donor and receiver are not completely found, there is nothing to worry about.
50 HIV patients will be cured every year in America with treatment
According to the CDC, 1.2 million people in the US are infected with HIV.
Dr. Koen Wayne Bassin, who is involved in the treatment of the woman, says that with the help of new stem cell transplant, 50 HIV patients can be cured every year in America. Since the cells removed from the donor’s umbilical cord do not necessarily match the receiver, it will be easier to find more donors.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.2 million people in the US are infected with HIV.
Woman also had Cancer
In 2013, four years after contracting HIV, the woman was diagnosed with blood cancer. This woman is of mixed race. In 2013, four years after contracting HIV, the woman was diagnosed with blood cancer. After this, his treatment continued through haplo-cord transplant. This was done using umbilical cord blood from a partially matched donor and a close relative. The woman had her last transplant in 2017 and after three years doctors stopped her treatment for HIV. Since then the woman has not been a victim of any virus.
Before this, two people have been cured of HIV
Adam Castilejo, the second patient who was cured of HIV.
Timothy Ray Brown was free from HIV for 12 years but died of cancer in 2020. In 2019, Adam Castilejo also got rid of this disease. However, both of them were treated with a bone marrow stem cell transplant. Such a mutation was found in their donors, which is helpful in preventing HIV infection. This mutation has been found in only 20,000 donors in the world. Most of these people are from Northern Europe.
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