Saturday, May 2, 2026

Toronto man poised to become 1st Canadian cured of HIV


CBC News has the story.

A 62-year-old man is poised to become the first person in Canada to be cured of HIV.

Only 10 patients worldwide are considered cured after following similar procedures. The case was led by Dr. Sharon Walmsley, director of the immunodeficiency clinic at the University Health Network. 

Timothy Ray Brown, known as the "Berlin Patient," was the first person cured of HIV, with his cure announced in 2008. An American living in Berlin, Brown was cured in 2007-2008 through specialized stem cell transplants to treat leukemia, using donors with a rare genetic mutation (\(CCR5\)-\(\Delta 32\)) resistant to HIV. He remained HIV-free until his death in 2020.

3 comments:

  1. This is incredible news. A 62-year-old man becoming the first Canadian cured of HIV is a massive step forward in medical science. The stem cell transplant method using CCR5-Δ32 donors has only worked for about 10 patients worldwide, so each success is a milestone. Dr. Sharon Walmsley and her team deserve huge recognition. For those following medical breakthroughs or just needing a moment of lighter news https://felixspin.ca/app

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  2. This is incredible to see, especially how it builds on cases like the “Berlin Patient” and the rare CCR5-Δ32 mutation strategy.

    What stands out is how tightly linked HIV “cure” cases still are to very specific medical circumstances like stem cell transplants for cancer rather than a broadly applicable treatment. It really shows both how far research has come and how complex the barrier still is to making this widely accessible.

    Still, even a small number of cured patients is a huge signal for where the science is heading. spinwinera

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  3. This is truly inspiring news. If this treatment continues to show success, it could become a major milestone in the fight against HIV and give hope to millions of people around the world. It's incredible to see how far medical research has come over the years.

    By the way, if you're looking for some online entertainment during your free time, check out https://lucky-spin.ca

    Wishing the patient and the research team continued success! 🌟

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