Question
Would a CCR5 negative blood transfusion make a difference?
5 September 2014. Related: All topics, Cure.
Would a direct transfusion from CCR5 negative donor have a positive impact on someone who has HIV?
Answer
Hi,
A blood transfusion from a CCR5 negative donor is unlikely to have any long term positive impact on someone who has HIV. White blood cells, including the CD4 cells that HIV uses and destroys, only live for about 3 days. This means that the CCR5 negative cells would quickly disappear.
One HIV patient called Timothy Brown continues to have no detectable trace of HIV. This is 7 years after receiving a bone marrow transplant from a CCR5 negative donor. He is not on ARVs. The difference here is that it was bone marrow transplant and not a blood transfusion. This transplant meant having his whole immune system replaced, this is very serious and risky and different from a blood transfusion. It was also only performed because he also had leukemia.
You can find a recent update on research on a HIV cure on our website.
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