The Argentine woman who is being called by doctors as a patient “Esperanza” represents a breakthrough in research for the cure of AIDS in the world and encourages researchers from all over the planet.
The group that analyzed billions of her cells and tissues and concluded that 8 years ago the patient was in remission. The discovery raises expectations for the 38 million people living with HIV.
A group of Harvard doctors announced the discovery at a major international meeting of HIV experts in March. Experts revealed that the patient, whose ex-boyfriend died of AIDS, did not have the virus that caused the disease. The findings have now been confirmed in the scientific journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
There is another emblematic case of cure similar to that of Argentina: that of the North American Loreen Willenbeg, 67 years old, who presented remission in 2020.
Two other cases considered to be a cure are specific to patients who had cancer and underwent bone marrow transplantation with donors who had genes resistant to HIV — and, as a result, ended up eliminating the virus.
For the infectologist from UNIFESP, Ricardo Diaz, one of the main references on the subject in the country, the case increases the possibilities of studies seeking a cure for AIDS: “it is a very rare case, which presents an opportunity for us to study mechanisms that can do with us to cure people”.
The specialist explains that the Argentine patient was part of the patients called “elite controllers”, who do not manifest the disease, despite being HIV positive.
But even these groups tend to have lifelong immunity imbalances. “This case shows that, in addition to being able to control the infection naturally — in the case of elite controllers — we can control it even more intensely and powerfully, to eliminate the parts of the virus that manage to multiply.’
The infectologist explains that, like other patients in remission, the 30-year-old Argentine woman should be monitored by doctors and researchers for the next few years, to find out if, in fact, the virus remains in remission.
Reference: CNN Brasil
