AIDS "Functional Cure": Medical Exploration Started from the First Case in France

Author: Huang Yanhong Duan Yuechu

In the long history of medical development, conquering AIDS has always been the unremitting goal pursued by researchers around the world. Recently, a piece of news reported by the French media on the 17th was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. An HIV-infected and leukemia patient in the country achieved "functional cure" after undergoing a bone marrow transplant, which is the first case in France (Source: Xinhua News Agency). This breakthrough not only injects new hope into the field of AIDS treatment, but also allows us to see the unlimited potential of medicine in fighting major diseases.

AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), has been spreading rapidly around the world like a terrible plague since it was discovered in the 1980s. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which attacks CD4 T lymphocytes in the human immune system and gradually destroys the body's immune function. Once the immune system collapses, various opportunistic infections and tumors will take advantage of the situation and seriously threaten the patient's life and health. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), as of now, tens of millions of people around the world are still suffering from AIDS, with a large number of new cases and deaths every year.

For a long time, the treatment of AIDS has mainly relied on antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART can effectively control the disease, prolong the patient's life and improve the quality of life by inhibiting the replication of HIV in the body. However, ART cannot completely eliminate the virus in the patient's body, and the patient needs to take medication for life. Once the medication is stopped, the virus often rebounds quickly and the condition worsens again. Therefore, achieving a "cure" for AIDS has become a dream goal of the medical community.

The first case of "functional cure" of AIDS in France has brought new hope for AIDS treatment. "Functional cure" means that the virus in the patient's body is significantly suppressed, and the virus will not rebound immediately after stopping antiviral treatment. The patient's immune system can maintain normal function and basically does not affect life. This achievement was achieved thanks to the special treatment method of bone marrow transplantation.

Bone marrow transplantation, also known as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, is a commonly used method to treat blood system diseases such as leukemia. In this case, the patient suffered from both AIDS and leukemia. When the doctor was looking for a suitable bone marrow donor for him, he found a donor with a special gene mutation. The donor's CCR5 gene had a Δ32 homozygous deletion mutation. The protein encoded by the CCR5 gene is one of the main auxiliary receptors for HIV to enter human immune cells. When this specific mutation occurs in the CCR5 gene, the CCR5 protein cannot be expressed normally on the surface of immune cells, and HIV has difficulty entering immune cells, making it impossible for HIV to replicate and spread in large quantities in the body.

After the patient received the bone marrow transplant, the donor's hematopoietic stem cells gradually took root in the patient's body and differentiated into various blood cells, including immune cells with the ability to resist HIV. After a period of recovery and observation, the HIV virus in the patient's body was effectively controlled, achieving "functional cure". This case was published in [specific medical journal name], [specific publication time], and attracted widespread attention from the global medical community.

The emergence of this achievement has given us new hope for conquering AIDS. From the current background of AIDS treatment, although ART has achieved remarkable results, "cure" is still an unattainable goal. The first "functional cure" case in France provides us with a new idea, that is, through intervention at the genetic level, changing the susceptibility of human cells to HIV, so as to achieve the purpose of cure.

Of course, we must also be aware that this case is only an individual case and there is still a long way to go before it can be widely used in clinical treatment. First of all, donors with CCR5 Δ32 homozygous deletion mutations are very rare and account for a very low proportion of the population, which greatly limits the promotion of this treatment method. Secondly, bone marrow transplantation itself is a high-risk treatment method. Various complications may occur during the operation, such as infection and rejection reactions, which may endanger the patient's life. Moreover, not all AIDS patients are suitable for bone marrow transplantation. Only those patients who also suffer from blood system diseases suitable for bone marrow transplantation can consider this treatment option.

Despite the many challenges, this case undoubtedly points out a new research direction for the field of AIDS treatment. On the one hand, researchers can further study the CCR5 gene and other genes that may be related to HIV infection, and explore the use of gene editing technology to achieve similar genetic changes in the patient's own cells, thereby bypassing the problem of finding special donors. In recent years, gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 have developed rapidly, making this concept possible. However, gene editing technology still faces many ethical and technical difficulties in human applications, such as off-target effects, which need to be further studied and resolved.

On the other hand, we can learn from this case and explore other mechanisms that can affect HIV infection and replication and develop new treatments. For example, researchers can develop new blocking drugs for other ways HIV enters cells, or enhance the body's immune clearance ability against HIV by regulating the human immune system.

From the first case of "functional cure" of AIDS in France, we see the infinite charm and potential of medical research. It makes us believe that with the joint efforts of researchers around the world, conquering the century-old problem of AIDS is not out of reach. Although there are still many challenges, every breakthrough brings us one step closer to our goal. In the future, with the continuous advancement and innovation of medical technology, we have reason to expect the emergence of more effective AIDS treatment methods and even cures, so that countless AIDS patients around the world can get rid of the troubles of the disease and regain health and hope.