Answered by Dr. Stuart Rennie
What is clear is that there is currently unprecedented excitement surrounding the possibility of a cure for HIV. Funding devoted specifically to HIV cure research is increasing, and there is more HIV cure research going on now than ever before. Cases like the Mississippi child and of patients who experience long-term control of HIV without treatment can easily give rise to the thought that a cure for HIV is ‘just around the corner.’ But we need to remind ourselves that, currently, only one case of successful cure exists: the Berlin patient, Timothy Brown. There is much about the biology and pathogenesis of HIV that we do not know, and that we will need to know before effective interventions aimed at HIV cure can be designed. In addition, some of these interventions may pose significant risks to humans and therefore there are good reasons to be cautious, prudent and patient. In short, the answer is: we are probably closer to a cure than ever before, but there is no way of predicting when it will happen.
39 Responses to “Q&A : How close are scientists to a cure for HIV?”
Anonymous
They will necer put a cure therea to much money in the pills then a cure….what are they gonna do if theres a cure in thw wolrd…they have the cure it just will bever hit the streets wanna talk about a illegal drug this one is the most one they can put out there…all there profits will be cut short..once theres a cure…..how is it possible that thia virus spread so fast and wasnt able to be detected from who or how it was spread…this is worlds biggest set up and only very few people know the cure amd if the wrong one knows he will die..
Anonymous
Agreed!
Anonymous
When the cure is found. So as long as there are pendejos who continue having unprotected sex or don’t abstain or dont stay monotonous then the cure pill for HIV and Aids will always be on the market as much as the treatment pill. So dont worry bro not all scientist and angel and venture capital investor is wicked. In fact most of them are philanthropist.
Anonymous
Good lord, learn to spell!
Anonymous
Theres a guy here in dallas where i live hes had hiv for 25 yrs he lives his life day by day his mind is clear but all his family cut him off irs so sad but he lives in the streets and talks to people about his disease im glad hes a person that opens up to people and talks about it…..i wish theres was a cure for him if there is a cure please let it known why waste our lives here in america..we need more lives and people walking here…
Anonymous
I believe there a cure. A shame that they use this disease to control population
Anonymous
I believe 100% that do have a cure for HIV. If they can find make medicine to neutralize the virus for years now, you trying to tell me they can’t make medicine to get rid of it completely? The man who was cure, so how come they never used him as a research to find a cure? Answer is I think they already did. seeing all the money they can make with people taking medicine to fight stay alive, they don’t feel the need to loose all that money and put out the cure. But how many lives have be affected by HIV before you can say yes we have a cure?
Anonymous
Agreed..!
Anonymous
Actually, HIV was eradicated from the Berlin patient by mistake. He had HIV, and also had cancer. His doctors happened upon a donor who was HIV-resistant, and was able to give a bone marrow transplant. Which means that not only did the Berlin patient have to take ART, which is physically taxing, he also had to endure a bone marrow transplant which is a grueling process where no anesthesia can be used. Doctors drilled into the bones of a living patient to retrieved the bone marrow, and then drilled into the bones of the Berlin patient to transplant the bone marrow. After said transplant I’m sure the Berlin patient had to under go yet another cocktail of medications for pain and anti rejection treatment for the transplant, which can also be physically taxing. On top of that the two patients had to have had a similar protein makeup for the transplant to have even been possible. In addition to the transplant the Berlin patient also under went immunotherapy/chemotherapy to treat the cancer, which in effect killed a lot of his body’s living cells. After going through so much agony I think he came out alright though. Me personally though, I’d rather wait for a for sure cure. Until then I am fine taking my ART regularly and feeling happy and healthy, once scientist do formulate a cure and are able to market it to the world I will be grateful person for their hard work. I think most importantly the Berlin patient’s case was let known to the public basically to let us know that HIV can be cured through Human ingenuity. I dont, however, think it should be used as a mechanism of demeaning or tarnishing the names and well intentions of the hard working doctors and scientists who spend countless hours behind a microscope calculating logarithmic equations, and performing countless tests, after years and years of medical school studies. If this were something they could just conjure up like one of the Wizards from Hogwarts and have it out on the streets for us in the blink of an eye I’m sure these good hearted people would do it with out question. The majority of people living with HIV/AIDS need to stop self loathing, stop trying to place blame, or let out frustrations on the wrong people. After all anybody who has HIV has it is because of their own life decisions. You do have to wonder though, are these companies and scientists holding out on a cure to make money from the pills they make so much money off of? There is one word I can think of to end your ridiculous speculation, and that word is capitalism. These scientist aren’t holding out on a cure. If anything they are racing to find the cure because of good ole American capitalism. What do you think is going to happen to the first person to invent or discover a cure for HIV/AIDS? Right! Their great-great-great-great-grandchildren are going to be born with silver spoons in their mouths and money up to their eyeballs. I for one take it upon myself to pray everyday that these scientist come up with a cure soon. Just because the future isn’t promised doesn’t mean it won’t happen. None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, but as long as we have hope we can at least HOPE that those who have made it their life’s work to take care of the sick can one day be able to help us. God bless America. God Bless the scientists, activists, and people who are proactively trying to end HIV, God bless those who have lost their lives in the battle, and God bless those who are struggling daily. Let’s spread love amongst people who may be looking at this post for encouragement. If you or someone you know has HIV and cannot bring themselves to be positive (no pun intended) offer them help. There are lots of resources out there for people who suffer from depression, anxiety, and lack of hope. I hope my post helps somebody! Thank you.
Anonymous
I feel that they are really close to finding a cure and might even have one. But it just not ready to test on humans because it might can kill us or effect us more. I’ve had HIV for almost a year now and it’s been hard but I think about my wife and kids and it keeps me going. My wife is neg. and we or very safe for those who are wondering lol. Im 28 years old four kids and a wife. I do think in the next couple years to come we all will be cured. My levels or great very healthy CD4 of almost 800 and VL undected which I thank God for everyday. I have faith that we will all make it through this. And all learn from this. But we have Doctors that are during there best and they will figure it out in do time. Stay faithful and keep your head up
Anonymous
You give me hope. I am also a parent and am currently battling seroconversion. If I am, at least I know, things can still be ok.
Anonymous
Lucky that have wife that sticks by you… if i was you I would hit the books and go to uni to learn about the body and try find a cure myself…never know ae…
Anonymous
Second that
Anonymous
Thank you for those words. Very encouraging.
Anonymous
I’m kind of in the same boat as you but just found out a month ago. It’s very hard right now but thank God for my family. I hope a cure is found not only for my sake but for everyone else out there.
Anonymous
I am from ny and you people are real i was just diagnosed and I feel great and I know I can overcome this
Anonymous
I’m just waiting for GOD to answer my prayers. I’m a 34 year female, been positive for 15 years. Never been sick or hospitalized. I just worried about finding a mate that will accept the fact that I have HIV. I trust GOD . He will heal us all.
Anonymous
Amen. I believe with you.
Anonymous
You can believe what you want. God wont help it is up to us.
Anonymous
Hello , I would love to meet you. I to share the same concern
Anonymous
My number is 832-935-7881
Anonymous
I was born with h.I.v. n if they have a cure I’m all for it..I can’t give up hope be pal think it’s a government conspiracy..
Anonymous
Been living wth the disease for a year now.if theres any hope of a cure please inform us. God be with us i pray hard
Anonymous
In God I put my trust
Anonymous
The Mississippi Baby in 2014 at the age of 4 years old tested positive for HIV. The baby was only given antiretroviral medication until 18 months of age. Now, that the child has tested positive ,the child is now back on antiretroviral medication which helps decrease the CD4+ T-cells levels. The continues to visit the pediatrician, Hannah Gay, M.D., which has cared for this child since birth.
Anonymous
The U.S. department of Health and Human Services (NIH) release the news regarding the child testing HIV positive on 7.10.2014.
Anonymous
Here’s the link, regarding the Mississippi baby testing positive.
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2014/Pages/MississippiBabyHIV.aspx
Anonymous
I would very much know where half of you went to school? Your grammar is abysmal. You should be ashamed.
Anonymous
I have been HIV positive for nearly nine years now, and I’ve heard the same thing year after year, “We’re really close to finding a cure,” or, “we will have a cure in ten years.” Well, that was ten years ago, and as far as I can see, the same meds are still being given. I’m a nurse, and I have given the same meds that I take to people for the entire time I’ve practiced medicine. Sure, one or two of the drugs may be different, but we are all taking Truvada. Speaking about the Berlin Patient just pisses me off. Why is it that this guy was the only person that this option worked? Why am I not good enough for someone to cure? I wipe your mom and dad’s asses when you won’t do it. I take care of people for a living, and try to make their lives better, but it seems as if no one cares about whether I’m taken care of no matter how much I pay it forward. I dream of the day that we can say the Human Immunodeficiency Virus has been eradicated from the human population, but I believe that we have become complacent with the way things are now at this point in time. I do not feel that much is being done to help cure more patients than one individual, and I’m a medical professional. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but after all these years of waiting, watching, praying, bargaining, and hoping for a cure all I see is more of the same being pushed to us. The Berlin Patient was cured in 2005, it’s been ten years, and people are still dying from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. So, why should I continue to hold onto hope that I may some day be a normal man? What has changed? Did they put a new name on an old drug? Because that’s the only thing I see that’s changed over the years. Living with this disease is hell, whether you have a cd4 of 1500 and a VL of nothing, or are below 300. People still hold their prejudices, people still talk about you like you are a walking plague, and people still think that you’re less of a being when you disclose to them. I’ve dealt with this alone for the past nine years. You can say, after losing jobs due to my illness, after losing friends due to my illness, and after losing my own dignities due to my illness that I’ve become jaded because you would be correct. Dealing with this alone makes me question my self worth daily. I’ve attempted suicide twice, and every part of me doubts my life is worth the cost of the medication I take everyday. I’m positive, 35 years old, alone, no children, and no hope of any of that ever changing. Every night I lie down asking God to not wake up, and every morning I take the pill to postpone the inevitable. Sometimes I find myself even wondering why I take the pill. AIDS has taken everything that was good and beautiful in my life, from my property to my dreams, and burned them to the ground. So, if I think that it’s naive to hope for a cure, or if I think that ignorance will reign supreme in this world forever, it’s only because of the experience I have lived and the future I can stipulate is to come. “We are so close,” they say, but “close” only counts with horseshoes and grenades. “Close,” is not good enough! We must stop asking for a cure (if there is to be one) and we must start demanding the cure instead. We have to hold those organizations that say, “it’s just around the corner,” or that, “we are so close that in ten years HIV will be history,” to what they say. We must bind them to their own promises, forcing them to put their money where their mouths are. Otherwise, in ten years they’ll be telling us the very same things over and over again.
Anonymous
Your comment really touched me and let me tell you, I admire you.
Its so sad that this virus even fucking exists, makes me wonder why bad things happen to good people… Hang on, I truly believe they are getting closer to a cure, these are fantastic days for technology and this may be the last generation to be haunted by thus nightmare
Anonymous
Amen i really hope they find a cure soon me my husband and our daughter are all positive and i would love to wake up one day knowing that they found a cure. I’m scared now because we haven’t even told our daughter her status not sure how she will handle it.but for some reason her doctors nurse is telling me that she will tell her if the subject comes up and not for nothing our daughter is a minor
Anonymous
most of people believe that HIV people had it by having sex around all over. But belive you me that’s not true. Some of us did not go look for this disease it came to us. I no some of you don’t get me or understand but just be thankful you are not in the same position as us HIV people. l no that one day there will be a cure 4 this virus and we will all be halth.I believe that everything happens for a reason . And I believe that even in this difficult situation god is still with us. That’s i put my hope to my lord my god. To all the people who it is still hard for you right now. Give it time. I Love You Guy. my god be with you all. Thank you…….
Anonymous
Im positive and I am from ny ….if you live in ny call me 3477929029
Anonymous
Or call if you just want to talk
Anonymous
I’m HIV positive as of 7/7/16. I was shocked by my diagnosis. I was generally careful with regards to wearing condoms, didn’t sleep with men, or shoot up drugs. But here I was getting a diagnosis that I thought was a death sentence. I’m on meds, and achieved undetectable levels in 4 weeks thanks to my meds. I think the hardest part for me is knowing that this is something that I have to disclose to future partners. My point is though is that I have HIV but it doesn’t have me. I eat right, I workout hard, and I keep a optimistic view on life. I’m so grateful for the meds that we do have right now and I feel optimistic about a cure and vaccine in the future.
George McMiti
If we make a breakthrough I want to be the first to know.