By Victor Omondi

A formerly HIV positive man in London, Adam Castillejo appears to be the second person to be cured of the HIV, his doctors said.

The method used to clear the virus in these two men is however not going to be available to the almost 38 million HIV positive people around the globe, experts say. Nonetheless, this news offers hope for so many living with the virus that causes AIDS.

Castillejo was not cured using HIV drugs; instead he was treated using stem-cell treatment. The treatment he went through because he had a cancer he was also suffering from. According to reports Castillejo underwent a bone marrow transplant that was geared towards attempting to cure the incurable blood cancer called Hodgkins Lymhoma. This is almost the same as the Berlin patient, Ray Brown, who was also undergoing a treatment for leukemia.

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Experts say that in both the first and the second patient, they received stem cells from donors with an uncommon gene that gives them protection against HIV. The donors have an uncommon mutation in a protein found on the surface of white blood cells known as CCR5.

Rowena Johnston, vice president and director of research at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research said that the two cases may just be a breakthrough in finding a potential generic cure for HIV.

“It’s a long way away. I’m not saying that’s happening tomorrow. But it gives you the sense that it might be worth putting in the effort to see if we can develop the technologies to make that happen. HIV uses this protein to gain entry into the cells it infects. If you’re a person with this genetic mutation, which means you don’t have that protein, it’s almost impossible for HIV to infect any of your cells,” Johnston said.

Source: UK Man Becomes Second Person Cured Of HIV After 30 Months Virus-Free