Functional Cure for HIV/AIDS
Could this be the first man to ever be cured of HIV?
He recieved a bone marow transplant and is now testing HIV negative!!!!!
1. What was "special" about the bone marrow transplant that he received?
2. Which part of the HIV virus does this co-receptor interact with?
3. What disease is he now at risk of getting?
4. What was the new class of drugs that was invented to block this co-receptor?
What was "special" about the bone marrow transplant that he received?
The donor bone marrow had a homozygous mutation in CCR5 which confers immunity to the HIV virus by making them resistant to the M-tropic strain of HIV-1 infection. CCR5 is a member of the beta chemokine receptor family. CCR5-Δ32 is a deletion mutation found in some people of northern European descent that is thought to have been favored by natural selection during the Black Plague and/or Smallpox epidemics.
Which part of the HIV virus does this co-receptor interact with?
CCR5 is a co-receptor for the gp41 HIV virus envelope glycoprotein.
What disease is he now at risk of getting?
He is at risk for Graft verses Host disease.
What was the new class of drugs that was invented to block this co-receptor?
Entry/fusion inhibitors are a new class of drugs that interfere with the CCR5-gp41 interaction.
Tags: Medical Advance, AIDS
Copyright 2011 John Barone MD. All rights reserved.
