Science may have gotten one step closer in finding a cure for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Two patients with long-term HIV appear to be free of the virus after undergoing bone-marrow transplants. They also stopped taking medication for AIDS about two months ago, researchers reported Wednesday. However, researchers say it's still too soon to declare that they have been completely cured of the deadly disease, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The patients received bone marrow transplants at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, America, as they were both suffering from blood cancer. After the operation, their levels of HIV dropped to undetectable levels as their cells were replaced with those of the donor marrow.
Timothy Henrich, one of the scientists involved, told the International Aids Society conference in Kuala Lumpur, "While these results are exciting, they do not yet indicate that the men have been cured. "Long-term follow up of at least one year will be required to understand the full impact of a bone marrow transplant on HIV persistence."
However, Yusef Azad, the directer of policy and campaigns at the UK National Aids Trust, warned that the transplant is risky. "This is a dangerous procedure and is costly. I think most people would choose to continue with medication which can be used to manage it," he told The Huffington Post UK.
The associated risk with bone marrow transplants make the procedure only suitable for the most immediately life threatening of circumstances. Plus, around 15-20% of operations result in death.