For the first time, a man is completely cured of HIV

BERLIN - Researchers say a patient in Germany is proof a cure for HIV may be within reach.

The patient in Berlin developed Leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a genetic anomaly. The donor lacked ccr5 genes.

It turns out ccr5 is how HIV enters the body’s cells.

4 years later, the patient is completely HIV free with no other treatment.

Quest research in San Francisco is now trying to duplicate what happened in Berlin by shutting down the ccr5 “doorway” through gene therapy.

Dr. Jacob Lalezari says without ccr5, the HIV virus can’t infect new cells and eventually, it will simply go away.

Quest research is treating 10 patients with this gene therapy and the results are encouraging.

One patient’s t-cells have doubled.

Quest is looking for new patients to try what they say very well could be an actual cure for HIV.