Scientists are debating over recent findings that indicate that Timothy Brown, the man who was essentially cured of HIV, may be showing renewed signs of the disease, the AFP reported.
Brown, also known as the “Berlin patient,” underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2006 from a person who carried a rare genetic resistance to HIV. The transplant appeared to eradicate the virus from his body, bringing hope to researchers and patients worldwide that a cure for HIV was possible.
However, new tests have found some signals of the virus in Brown’s body again – though researchers are as of yet uncertain as to whether the results mean Brown has not actually been cured of HIV, whether he has been re-infected or whether the positive results are simply a product of contamination in the lab.
According to the AFP, the new strains of HIV detected were found to be different from those initially present in Brown in 2006, and different from each other.
More studies are in progress to confirm or disprove the findings.
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