Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

British Scientists May Have Just Cured The First Person Ever of HIV

British Scientists May Have Just Cured The First Person Ever of HIV

[DIGEST: The Times, Gizmodo]

A 44-year-old British man is the first of 50 people to complete a trial of a treatment which scientists say eradicates HIV cells in the entire body––including dormant cells which evade current HIV treatments.


Doctors declined to identify the patient, who is a social care worker in London. "It would be great if a cure has happened. My last blood test was a couple of weeks ago and there is no detectable virus. I took part in the trial to help others as well as myself," he said. "It would be a massive achievement if, after all these years, something is found to cure people of this disease. The fact that I was a part of that would be incredible."

Researchers from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London and King's College London report that the virus is now completely undetectable in his blood, though they admit this could be a result of regular drugs. If dormant cells relay the same result, the trial could represent the first HIV cure.

Current anti-retroviral [Art] therapies target HIV as it attacks the immune system by replicating itself into the DNA of T-cells so that these cells both ignore the disease and reproduce the virus. However, these therapies cannot target dormant infected T-cells. The new therapy works in two stages: First, a vaccine is administered to help the body clear out cells infected with HIV. Then, a drug called Vorinostat activates dormant T-cells. The method could provide the immune system with the tools it needs to recognize and fight the infection.

“This therapy is specifically designed to clear the body of all HIV viruses, including dormant ones,” said Professor Sarah Fidler, a consultant physician at Imperial College London. "It has worked in the laboratory and there is good evidence it will work in humans too, but we must stress we are still a long way from any actual therapy. We will continue with medical tests for the next five years and at the moment we are not recommending stopping Art but in the future depending on the test results we may explore this."

Professor Fidler cautioned that it will be several years before researchers complete their study. “We will continue with medical tests for the next five years and at the moment we are not recommending stopping Art but in the future, depending on the test results we may explore this," she said.

Ian Green, chief executive of the HIV/AIDS charity Terrence Higgins Trust, echoed Professor Fidler's statement. "There is still no cure for HIV  and we welcome this ambitious study which looks to eradicate the virus completely from the bodies of people living with HIV, instead of suppressing it."

More than 37 million people live with HIV worldwide. There are more than 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK alone, though researchers estimate that 1 in 5 people do not know they have the virus. Only one individual, American Timothy Ray Brown, who researchers call "the Berlin Patient," has been "functionally cured" of HIV since receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor naturally resistant to the virus.

Timothy Ray Brown. (Credit: Source.)

More from News

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less