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Local 12: Report: Person was 'cured' of HIV, but a local doctor says treatment is dangerous

UC expert has concerns about stem cell transplants

headshot of Bill Bangert By Bill Bangert 513-558-4519
2 minute read February 22, 2023

New research published in the Nature Medicine journal says a 53-year-old German man is now clear of HIV after a procedure that replaced his bone marrow cells with HIV-resistant stem cells from a donor. He is just the third person to be cured of HIV. 

WKRC-TV, Local 12, interviewed Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, who was at the scientific meeting in Seattle where this research was released. 

"I do hope in my professional lifetime will be able to see him the situation where we can cure a disease like HIV,” said Fichtenbaum. "Every year, we get a little bit closer to a better answer.”

Dr. Fichtenbaum and Jassiel HIV study in lab.

/content/dam/uc/news/ahc-public-relations/medicine/fichtenbaum-lab-folder.jpg/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand

While the news about the German patient is exciting, Fichtenbaum knows it doesn't do much for the average person living with the virus.

"It’s very important, it gives us hope, but it’s not a scalable cure that can be down at your local pharmacy tomorrow," said Fichtenbaum.

That is mostly because of how specific the patient's health condition is and because Fichtenbaum says operations like stem cell transplants are extremely dangerous.

"We have tried this several times and it’s failed because bone marrow transplant transplants, stem cell transplants are dangerous, and these are mostly used in individuals who have cancer,” said Fichtenbaum.

See the entire story here. 

Lead photo/Aaron Ufumeli/EPA-EFE

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