Only person ever cured of HIV shares experience with scientists
Photo courtesy of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
SEATTLE -- Timothy Ray Brown, the first person to have been cured of HIV, is sharing his experiences with scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Brown, who was born and raised in Seattle, was diagnosed with HIV in 1995. More than a decade later, he was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia.
In 2007 and 2008, he received stem cell transplants to combat the leukemia. His doctors chose to use cells that came from a donor with a rare gene mutation that made them naturally immune to HIV. The transplant not only eradicated Brown's cancer, it also transferred the genetic variation to his immune system, curing him of HIV.
A team at Fred Hutchinson called defeatHIV is now using Brown's breakthrough as a possible blueprint for new curative therapies that could reach patients worldwide.
Brown has also started a foundation devoted to finding a cure for HIV. He will be traveling the country to raise funds for the foundation.