The world’s first person to recover from HIV has died of leukemia



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Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the “Berlin Patient”, was 54 years old.

In 2007, he underwent bone marrow transplant surgery in Berlin for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The bone marrow transplanted into TRBrown belonged to a donor whose genes had a rare mutation that made them naturally resistant to HIV. This gene is known as CCR5-delta 32. After the bone marrow transplant, TRBrown also recovered from HIV.

According to doctors, Timothy Ray Brown was completely cured of HIV in 2008.

According to the International AIDS Society, TRBrown did not relapse from HIV, but the leukemia reappeared six months ago, and the cancer also spread to the spine and brain.

“On behalf of all of our members and the Board, we extend our condolences to Timothy’s partner, Tim, his family and friends,” said Adeeba Kamarulzaman, president of the International AIDS Society.

“We are indebted to Timothy and his physician, Gero Hütter, for giving scientists the opportunity to explore the idea that HIV can be cured,” the report says.

TRBrown lived in Berlin from 1993 to 2010, worked in a café and also translated from German to English, wrote his partner Tim on Facebook.

Timothy was diagnosed with HIV in 1995 and leukemia in 2007.

“Timothy has spent his entire life talking about HIV treatment and has become an ambassador of hope. I am lucky to have been able to share life together, but now my heart is broken because my hero no longer exists. Tim was truly the sweetest person in the world, his spirit will live on and the love and support of family and friends will help me through this difficult time, ”wrote his partner.

More than two years ago, Adam Castillejo, formerly known as the “London Patient”, completed antiretroviral therapy for HIV and became the second person to be cured of HIV.

Unlike TRBrown, Castillejo only received one stem cell transplant, not two, and did not receive full-body radiation therapy during treatment.

Currently, 38 million people are living with HIV or AIDS worldwide under the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS.



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