First Person Cured of HIV

Scientists  working on an experimental new therapy say that the HIV virus is completely undetectable in a 44-year-old Englishman’s blood – the first person in history who may be cured of the disease. The Health Research Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure gathered from 5 UK universities & are conducting trials on 50 people. MD of the clinic Mark Samuels says, “This is a huge challenge & it’s still early days but the progress has been remarkable.” As of now, antiretroviral therapies can target active T-cells which are infected with HIV but they cannot treat dormant T-cells. This means that patients bodies continue to reproduce the virus. However, the therapy clears out even the dormant ones using a drug called Vorinostat that activates them. The patient hasn’t been identified, but said, “It would be great if a cure has happened.”