In a remarkable announcement, German researchers have declared that they "functionally cured" a patient of AIDS, eradicating all traces of the virus from his body. The feat was accomplished with a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had a genetic resistance to the virus, and researchers say that 20 months later they can find no trace of the virus in the patient's blood, bone marrow, or organ tissue. But the accomplishment shouldn't be taken as a sign that a cure for the 33 million people living with AIDS is around the corner, researchers are hasty to add.
Professor Rodolf Tauber from the [German] clinic said: "This is an interesting case for research. But to promise to millions of people infected with HIV that there is hope of a cure would not be right" [BBC News].
Reasons for this caution include the small number of potential donors with the HIV-resistant ...
