Wednesday, September 12, 2012

More than five years after a radical treatment, both Timothy Ray Brown and his German doctor are convinced he is cured of HIV.

Brown and Dr. Gero Hutter made their first-ever joint appearance in the U.S. on Wednesday when Hutter spoke at a symposium on gene therapy at Washington University in St. Louis.

Brown was diagnosed with HIV in 1995. In 2007, he also developed leukemia while living in Germany. Hutter performed a blood stem cell transplant using a donor with a rare gene mutation that provides natural resistance to HIV. Hutter says that resistance transferred to Brown.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Brown says he feels great. Hutter says enough time has passed to say without hesitation that Brown is cured.