Doctors have reported a HIV-positive man who received a stem cell transplant has been cured as a result of the procedure. Timothy Ray Brown, who has been known as the 'Berlin Patient' to doctors, received the transplant in 2007 as part of a lengthy treatment course for leukemia.
The doctors treating Mr Brown recently published a report in the journal Blood affirming that the results of extensive testing "strongly suggest that cure of HIV infection has been achieved", according to the Huffington Post.
Mr Brown's case creates a path for constructing a permanent cure for HIV through genetically-engineered stem cells.
The Huffington Post also reports that recent studies indicate healthy individuals who take antiretrovirals, medication commonly prescribed for treating HIV, can reduce their risk of contracting the infection by up to 73 per cent.
While these new developments by no means prove a cure for the virus has been found, they can certainly provide hope for the 33 million people around the world living with HIV.
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