'Berlin patient' who became the first-ever to get cured of HIV passes away due to cancer

The first-ever person to have been cured of HIV has reportedly passed away. Timothy Ray Brown, also known as “The Berlin patient” had received a bone marrow transfer from a man who was 'naturally resistant to HIV’. Although the treatment freed him from the virus, it led to leukaemia which eventually killed him.

54-year-old Brown first caught the infection in 1995 while he was living in Berlin. According to BBC, his treatment involved destroying his bone marrow, which was producing the cancerous cell and then having a marrow transplant. The transfer came from a donor that had a rare mutation in part of their DNA called the CCR5 gene.

The CCR5 gene is designed to prevent the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from entering the human cell. Following the bone marrow transplant, the HIV level in his blood fell considerably and he no longer needed the anti-retroviral therapy. However, in 2007, he developed a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia. Deadly cancer returned and took over his brain and spinal cord earlier this year, resulting in his death.

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Brown had dedicated his life to spread awareness and prevent HIV. His story had inspired scientists and patients alike and instilled hope in thousands that treatment for HIV could be found, BBC reported. Following his demise, the International Aids Society (IAS) wrote that it was mourning with "a profoundly heavy heart".

About HIV

As per the US' CDC, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). There is currently no effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life. But with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled.

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Image credits: TimothyRayBrown/Twitter