Timothy Ray Brown, Berlin Patient, Says His HIV Is Cured (VIDEO)

Back in December, word spread quickly that the "Berlin Patient" Timothy Ray Brown had apparently been cured of HIV.

Brown is in the news again, thanks to a fresh sit-down interview with his local CBS affiliate, now making the rounds (watch below).

The 45-year-old who now lives in the San Francisco area said matter-of-factly in the interview, "I’m cured of HIV. I had HIV but I don’t anymore."

Brown received a stem cell transplant in 2007 that apparently turned the HIV-positive man HIV-negative, according to a December report in Blood. The research stated that tests "strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved."

Questions remain in the scientific community about whether the success can be replicated, though there is no doubt it has led to a renewed interest in an HIV cure. Some experts have cautioned HIV could still be present somewhere in Brown's blood.

WATCH:

Comments

[Kenz300]

12:18 AM on 06/26/2011

WOW -- Good for him... I hope it leads to a cure.

[Cheryl Birch]

08:48 PM on 05/19/2011

Wow, that is so inspiring!

[Lifencompass]

07:29 PM on 05/19/2011

this is the best news I've heard in forever.

[dz1320]

11:45 AM on 05/19/2011

Alright, but I believe I met someone here in SF about 10 years ago who had "cured" himself from HIV. He was in a workshop w Joan Halifax, and had been to do a vision quest--that was the method of cure. For whatever reasons it did not make the news. The guy actually seemed quite healthy afterwards.

[NovaMinder]

08:53 PM on 05/17/2011

"Cured a long time ago" is an understatement, rjhuntington. I'll add that fear is what keeps most from doing their own due diligence on the myriad alternatives which have worked for so many others. The fear-less and positive mental state of the person is absolutely critical in self healing. In fact, I believe its the most important part of ALL healing. Then, it should be followed by consulting with Mother Nature. Fear of the unknown is what keeps many in the dark about the true power of nature. Remove the fear, and the body begins to respond in the best way IT knows how.

[portabello]

04:03 PM on 05/17/2011

I'll get a bit personal here. My best friend got HIV about 20 years ago. The doctors monitored his T-cell counts as they fluctuated, he was on AZT and while he never got really sick his blood work did not look good. Viral levels were high.

After two years of AZT, pretty much the only drug available at the time, he viral levels went away and his T-cells returned to normal. He has never had any trace of the virus for going on 15 years.

I tell this story because it is extremely rare, but all diseases have a small percentage of unexplained cures, even things like brain tumors.

I sadly suspect that this man's story is similar to my friends. One person's extraordinary experience does not make a cure. I am very happy for this man, but I would need much more evidence to consider this a cure.

[DannyEVillage]

02:39 PM on 05/17/2011

it's been a long time since I've seen the kind of homophobic nastiness I'm seeing on this thread. WTF is wrong with you people? Not enough martinis for breakfast?

[babybecks]

10:55 PM on 05/19/2011

Only took a brief scroll down to see what you were talking about. Some people can find any reason at all to spread their bigotry and hate, no matter the topic.

[Eriq]

08:15 PM on 06/05/2011

Good observation, DannyEVillage... I think the lack of martinis might just be part of the cause. Poor, grouchy people... missing out on so much enjoyable life.

[Alicia Westberry]

02:26 PM on 05/17/2011

What this blog fails to mention is that this guy didn't just get a stem cell transplant in an attempt to cure his AIDS. He needed a bone marrow transplant because he had a severe form of cancer. His bone marrow donor had a specific gene that made them immune to HIV. Further tests, post-transplant, have shown no detectable virus.

[Var Enyo]

03:28 PM on 05/17/2011

I remember seeing a show about that gene quite a long time ago. They think it may be the one that protected some people from the plague in Europe.

[Loki D Wolf]

02:32 PM on 05/19/2011

That's true. There were people during the dark plague that were simply immune to it and didn't get sick or die. Their DNA carried on. It was called the T-32 cell I believe. It's been duplicated but ya know, testing supposedly takes forever. There is a cure for HIV and other chronic diseases. Just leave this country and you'll see progress.

WARNING: Soap Box Moment get away from the pharmaceutical companies and their control and you'll discover a LOT.

[conservicide]

02:03 PM on 05/17/2011

Wait.
This isn't front page news???

[Eriq]

08:13 PM on 06/05/2011

Now THAT is a good question.

[DannyEVillage]

02:21 PM on 05/17/2011

Nice. I'd love to hear you say that to the millions of hetersexual women who have died of HIV disease--and are still dying at this moment in Africa.

You are a sw/ne.

[jasonsabio]

02:32 PM on 05/17/2011

Or you could go out one night and "bang booty" with one person who you think you know really well until about 9pm and you still might die of AIDS.

There should be a law against your comments. And perhaps if they did teach sex education to you at some point you wouldn't be so grossly misinformed and soulless.

[DannyEVillage]

02:22 PM on 05/17/2011

Well--at least we now know where YOUR head is.

[antipodal2u]

12:42 PM on 05/17/2011

No money in a cure

[patardugno]

12:31 PM on 05/17/2011

Oh, wait, don'tgo away mad!!

What is the definision of a Bi-Sexual?
Someone who can't make a fkn decision.

When the Medical people 1st said that being gay is not a conscious choice, it is a Genetic Defect, I could not believe how many people jumped to get on that band wagon, saying that is the kind of Retarded they are!

Other people don't care if you're gay, we don't have to be fanatical against you,....you are the fanatics trying to act as though we should or need to care, when we couldn't care less. Our opinions of gay people are that you just need to get out of the gene pool. No body cares!! Get over yourself.

[incredulousnyc]

03:14 PM on 06/01/2011

Hey Patard.... IF no one has told you yet today, let me be the first. F*** Y**.

[RedSquirrel]

11:13 AM on 05/17/2011

Good, now he can stop taking ALL of his medication and we'll see

[jasev01]

10:56 AM on 05/17/2011

wait is this the same stem cell research people are trying to ban?  honestly smh

[antipodal2u]

12:43 PM on 05/17/2011

The one W banned for 8 years? Yea

[john1513]

01:53 PM on 06/01/2011

The functional cure was not from embryonic stem cells. Try again.

[john1513]

01:51 PM on 06/01/2011

This was from adult stem cells (which were not banned), not embryonic:

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/18/adult-stem-cell-success-cells-touted-as-curing-mans-aids/

A detail conveniently or politically left out of the article.