NationStates Jolt Archive

Last Modified: 13 Nov 2005
Source: ITN

A British man has allegedly become the first person in the world to beat HIV.

A number of newspapers reported that Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed with the virus in 2002. He later tested negative in 2003.

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust, which carried out the tests, now want him to undergo more before it can be established how he apparently beat the disease. Mr Stimpson said he did not take any medication for HIV.



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A spokeswoman said: "These tests were accurate and they were his, but what we don't know at the moment is why that has happened, and we want him to come back in for more tests. It is potentially a fantastic thing."

Stimpson was tested three times in August 2002 at the Victoria clinic for sexual health in central London.

The results showed he was producing HIV antibodies to fight the killer disease.

He took vitamins and other dietary supplements in the hopes that this might prevent full-blown Aids from developing.

After impressing doctors with his good health, Stimpson was offered a new test in 2003.

It came back negative, and further tests in December 2003 and March 2004 also proved negative.

He told a newspaper: "It was the last thing I expected. I was astonished. I was baffled too.

"I couldn't understand how anyone could cure themselves of HIV . . . I thought it had to be wrong because no one can recover from HIV, it just doesn't happen."

The tests were re-checked by the Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust and they confirmed all the tests had been accurate.

The case has baffled medical experts and they want to study Mr Stimpson in the hope that they can learn more about beating HIV.

http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=832514

Excellent now Doctors want to study him to see why he is such a freak.!

http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=832514

Excellent now Doctors want to study him to see why he is such a freak.!


Way cool. It gives one hope. Hope something comes of this........

I saw a news story a while back about a mother and daughter in Africa who were working prostitutes who hadn't developed HIV despite being exposed to the virus on a daily basis.

I'll see if I can find the source...

You do realize there is an exact same thread here?

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=453786

Well it looks like they have the virus now, but the article has some interesting things to say - this is from the BBC:


It was thought that exposure to HIV on a regular basis created immunity, but six Kenyan women previously thought to be resistant are now HIV-positive.

The women are all former prostitutes who have since left the business.

Scientists now think immunity may be reliant on continued exposure - once regular contact with HIV stops, immunity is lost.

Researchers at Oxford University have been monitoring 43 Kenyan prostitutes constantly exposed to HIV who had not been infected.

Sarah Rowland-Jones, a researcher at Oxford University, described the development of HIV in the six women as "dismaying". She added: "This implies that to maintain immunity, you need to have continual exposure."

The final results have not yet been compiled, however, and the Medical Research Council, under which the research is being carried out, does not believe the chances of developing an effective vaccine have been damaged.

Hope

It is still hoped that a vaccine can be developed which builds up immunity by introducing genes containing fragments of HIV proteins into the body.

The Kenyan women studied by the Oxford scientists have large numbers of white blood cells known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), which are primed to kill other cells in which HIV hides.

The scientists devised a vaccine using this information, consisting of a small loop of DNA, containing fragments from genes for three different HIV proteins. It also contains a live, disabled cowpox virus, used in small pox vaccines, with the same gene fragments added to its genome.

The vaccine effectively stimulated production of CTLs in monkeys and protected against HIV infection.

But the development of HIV in the six Kenyan women may mean that to be effective, the vaccine would need to be given repeatedly, making it too expensive for the developing world which is most affected by the Aids epidemic.

The International Aids Vaccine Initiative, which is sponsoring the vaccine's development, is not abandoning the research, reports New Scientist magazine.

Combined

Scientific adviser to the initiative Jaap Goudsmit, of the University of Amsterdam, believes the Oxford vaccine could be combined with other components.

He said: "We want as many approaches as possible for phase one studies and then we can choose between them or mix and match."

Safety trials of the Oxford vaccine will go ahead this year with 30 British volunteers, to be followed by further trials in Kenya if they go well.

Gavin Hart at the National Aids Trust, said the development of HIV in the women was "disappointing".

But he added: "It is still a very important path of vaccine research that we have to continue to follow. There is still a lot of potential to this path."

It was important to continue to support the Oxford research, he said.

You do realize there is an exact same thread here?

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=453786
He knows, apparently it is becoming a fad to make a post in a topic then make a new topic on the same subject.

Here's to hoping we can find a cure for AIDs before too many more people die.

You do realize there is an exact same thread here?

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=453786
yes i found that out almost instantly.

He knows, apparently it is becoming a fad to make a post in a topic then make a new topic on the same subject.
No i made this and then i saw the other one.http://70.85.81.229/3630/189/emo/f00l.gif:)

Technical point-he never developed AIDS-he was HIV positive and now appears to have somehoe managed to rid his system of the virus. However, he at no point developed any of the symptoms of AIDS.