HIV protection?

[TheMercenary]

This was a very interesting article. Heard it on NPR today.

Gene therapy offers hope of cure for HIV

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...v-1607227.html

[Shawnee123]

Chris Rock: They ain't curin' shit. The last thing they cured was polio. There ain't no money in the cure, the money's in the disease.

(paraphrase, probably)

[TheMercenary]

Since being given a bone marrow transplant two years ago, he has not taken antiretroviral drugs to control HIV and has had no resurgence of either disease. He is believed to be the longest HIV-free survivor who was previously treated with antiretroviral drugs.

Remarkable.

Dr Hutter said a bone marrow transplant would be too risky as a routine treatment for HIV and too difficult to find donors with the right genetic make-up. But a modification of the approach using gene therapy to render a patient HIV-resistant could work, he said.

Even a costly treatment could be worthwhile. The price of treatment with antiretrovirals in Europe is €70,000 to €80,000 (£63,000 to £72,000) a year compared with a one-off cost of €20,000 to €30,000 for a bone marrow transplant.