German University Medicine Award goes to DZIF scientists at the UKE
A team of researchers from Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Erlangen and Cologne has been awarded the German University Medicine Prize for curing the so-called "Düsseldorf patient", who suffered from leukaemia and the HI virus. DZIF scientists from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) also played a leading role. The German University Medicine Prize is endowed with 25,000 euros and is awarded by the Association of Medical Faculties (MFT) and the German Association of Academic Medical Centres (VUD).
The 53-year-old man is the third patient in the world to be completely cured of his infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by a stem cell transplantation. The man, who had leukaemia, was transplanted with blood stem cells from a healthy donor, which also conferred resistance to most HI viruses. Six years after the transplantation, the HIV antiviral therapy was stopped. After a further four years, during which no viral activity was detected, the patient is now considered cured.
The Hamburg research group led by DZIF scientist Professor Julian Schulze zur Wiesch from the UKE's Department of Medicine I has been investigating the course of the disease and the immune response of HIV patients after stem cell transplantation as part of an international consortium for several years. "I am delighted to receive the German University Medicine Award. Through close interdisciplinary collaboration, our international research team was able to prove that a cure for HIV is possible. We want to build on this and develop further treatment options that can benefit as many patients as possible," says Professor Schulze zur Wiesch.
Source: Press release of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) (only in German)
