Timothy Ray Brown, the first man to beat HIV, is dead. Brown, who went down in history as a “Berlin patient”, died on September 29 at the age of 54. The cause of his death was leukemia, a disease that previously cured him of HIV. World media writes about Brown’s death, incl. CNN, BBC, The Guardian.
Fig. Timothy Ray Brown in July 2012.
- Timothy Ray Brown, known as the “patient of Berlin” and the first man to beat HIV, died of cancer. He was 54 years old
- Bone marrow transplants, performed in 2007 and 2008 to treat the leukemia he suffered from, successfully cured his HIV as well
- Defeating HIV was possible thanks to a rare genetic mutation of the donor (it gives natural immunity to the virus)
- For years, Ray Brown has been HIV-free. Unfortunately, the cancer that actually cured HIV has returned, attacking the brain and spinal cord
- For more up-to-date information on the coronavirus, please visit the TvoiLokony home page
“It is with great sadness to announce that Timothy has passed away… surrounded by friends after a five-month battle with leukemia,” wrote the deceased’s partner Tim Hoeffgen on Facebook. “Tim has dedicated his life to telling the world his story, which is proof that HIV can be beaten,” he added. “Brown has given the world hope that it is possible to cure HIV,” emphasizes the International AIDS Society.
His case is truly remarkable.
How Timothy Ray Brown beat HIV
From 1993 to 2010, Timothy Ray Brown lived in Berlin (which is why he was later referred to as the “Berlin patient”). At that time, he worked as a German-English translator. Two years after arriving in the German capital (in 1995), he was diagnosed with HIV, and in 2007 it turned out that he also suffered from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – a cancer of the hematopoietic system that most often affects adults.
Bone marrow transplantation is one of the basic methods of treating leukemia (in a nutshell, the idea is to restore the patient’s bone marrow, damaged by the disease and destroyed by the therapy). However, Gero Hütter, the doctor at Charite Hospital in Berlin who led Brown’s treatment, wanted to try to cure his HIV infection as well. How?
- HIV virus – everything you need to know about it. How is it different from AIDS? [WE EXPLAIN]
In 2007, the patient underwent a bone marrow transplant. The donor was a person with a rare genetic mutation (known as CCR5) that gives natural immunity to HIV.
The first treatment was not entirely successful. The patient’s HIV seemed to be gone, but the leukemia was not. So in 2008 it was decided to get a second transplant – from the same donor. Timothy Ray Brown himself told the BBC about the effects: “I stopped taking drugs on the day of the transplant, after three months there was no HIV in my body anymore” – he said in 2012.
- Where did HIV come from?
Admittedly, in 2012, traces of HIV were detected in his body, raising concerns that the disease might come back. It turned out, however, that the pathogen does not reproduce and the disease does not develop (similarly to those with the CCR5 mutation who have been infected but do not have AIDS). So we can say that as a result of the transplant Timothy Ray Brown was “cured”. Thus, he became the first known person to overcome HIV.
All these years, Brown was virus-free. Unfortunately, the cancer has returned, attacking the brain and spinal cord. After battling the disease for five months, the “Berlin patient” died at his home in Palm Springs, California. Timothy Ray Brown was 54 years old.
The “patient from Berlin” embodied the hope of recovery
The story of Timothy Ray Brown inspired scientists to search for an effective weapon against HIV. She hoped that finding a cure was possible.
In 2016, a similar procedure was performed on another HIV-infected man, Adam Castillejo (until he revealed his identity, known as the “London patient”). Success was again achieved – Castillejo became the second man to overcome HIV.
There are few donors with a gene mutation that protects against HIV, and the transplants themselves – from a medical point of view – are risky, so research began on gene therapy and other methods that could have a similar effect.
According to The Guardian, in July scientists said it was possible that they had managed to lead to a long-term remission of the disease in a man from Brazil. The effect would be “a powerful combination of drugs to flush the body of dormant HIV virus”.
«I’m glad I had it. This opened a door that had not existed before and inspired scientists to work harder to find a cure »- said Timothy Ray Brown, the first man cured of HIV, about his unprecedented surgery.
You may be interested in:
- Will a common cold protect us from COVID-19? The latest research shows that it is possible
- Record increase in infections. “Most Poles stopped taking SARS-CoV-2 seriously”
- Parents knowingly sent their coronavirus-infected children to schools. American officials have evidence
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.
“I’m still glad I had it,” he said of his transplant. “It opened a door that wasn’t there before,” said Brown, and inspired scientists to work harder to find a cure.
but Huetter wanted to try to cure HIV as well, using a donor with a rare gene mutation that gives natural immunity to the AIDS virus
In 2007, Brown was given a bone marrow transplant because of cancer. The donor was someone with a rare genetic mutation that was found to be resistant to HIV.