Layla Brinster

AP Biology

Mr. Ippolito

3/7/19

Current Event #18 Review

Citation:

Scutti, Susan. “London Patient Might Be Second to Be Cured of HIV.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Mar. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/health/hiv-remission-london-patient-study-bn/index.html.

Layla Brinster

AP Biology

Mr. Ippolito

3/7/19

Current Event #18 Review

Citation:

Scutti, Susan. “London Patient Might Be Second to Be Cured of HIV.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Mar. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/health/hiv-remission-london-patient-study-bn/index.html.

Layla Brinster

AP Biology

Mr. Ippolito

3/7/19

Current Event #18 Review

Citation:

Scutti, Susan. “London Patient Might Be Second to Be Cured of HIV.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Mar. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/health/hiv-remission-london-patient-study-bn/index.html.

Susan Scutti, in her “Two Men Might be Second and Third to be Cured of HIV”, writes that a second person has undergone remission from HIV-1 recently. Many scientists believe that this patient commonly referred to as the “London Patient” has been cured of HIV, an important medicinal milestone. The first patient, known as the “Berlin Patient” was effectively cured over 10 years ago. The two patients were injected with stem cells from donors carrying a  genetic mutation. This mutation is the CCR5-delta 32 and has made the patients resistant to the HIV virus. Ravindra Gupta, the author of the study publishing these results and professor and University College Lond’s Divison of Infection and Immunity, states “by achieving remission in a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly and that it really was the treatment approaches that eliminated HIV in these two people.”  This treatment using the genetic mutation, cannot be used on all patients, but it does open doors to new treatment strategies and therapies. The London patient, after 16 months of antiretroviral therapy starting in 2016, went off his antiretroviral therapy and has been in remission for 18 months. With regular testing, it was confirmed that the HIV viral amount is undetectable. The most important takeaway from this finding is that the Berlin Patient was not an anomaly. It is possible for HIV to be cured.

This topic is extremely relevant to society. Millions of people all over the world battle with HIV/AIDs. HIV has been thought of as uncurable for the longest time and has taken the lives of millions. There is a multitude of relief organizations all over the world. It is amazing to see how, someday, this disease which we thought was incurable, can someday be cured; there is hope for the future. Throughout history, HIV patients have faced discrimination and brutality because of their disease; there have been congressional actions taken as well. It is necessary to remember that these treatments are just the beginning. Science and medicine are continuing to evolve, and have the potential for even better treatments and cures. This step is the first of many more to come and needs support.

I think that this article was very well written. It was very concise and to the point, and was summarized well. Scutti incorporated quotes from many scientists along with a lot of data to explain the significance of the study. However, she could have included more background or context on the HIV disease. Some historical context could have enriched her article too. Overall, this article is astounding and describes a major scientific breakthrough.