Bone Marrow Transplant Cures Man of HIV

Doctors in Germany have stated a man with leukemia and HIV has shown no sign of either disease since a bone marrow transplant two years ago.

According to BBC, the researchers in Berlin said the donor had a genetic resistance to HIV, and the result may raise interest in gene therapy for HIV patients. However, the researchers also said this was an unusual case that required further investigation.

“This is an interesting case for research,” Professor Rodolf Tauber from the Charite clinic said in a statement, reported BBC. “But to promise to millions of people infected with HIV that there is hope of a cure would not be right.”

Approximately 1,000 Americans and Europeans have inherited the genetic mutation that prevents HIV from attaching itself to cells. At the same time, two million people die of AIDS every year, and roughly 33 million people worldwide have HIV, reported BBC.

Professor Andrew Sewell, from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Immunology at the University of Cardiff said a bone marrow transplant from someone with HIV resistance should, in theory, work for others, reported BBC.

However, Sewell added, “The problem is most people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa and this is hugely expensive, you have to find a matched donor, and it’s a pretty severe and painful operation. So it’s going to be an option for very few people.”

Germany’s First Gay TV Channel Hits the Air

Germany has a new television channel that “loves men.” TimmTV is the country’s first broadcaster to focus on gay and lesbian programming. Already established in much of Europe, gay TV’s taken longer to reach Germany.

Find out more at dw-world.de.

German Company Creates Gay Apartment Complex

From Queerty.com:

Hoping to etch a safe space for their neighborhood gays, a German construction company decided to erect a massive apartment complex specifically for the lavender set.

Memorial for Gay Victims of Nazis Vandalized

It has been reported by German police the that the new memorial in Berlin to gay victims of the Nazis was damaged by vandals on Saturday.

The police said someone had broken a window which is an important part of the memorial that allows people to see inside of a concrete slab in order to see an image of a same-sex couple kissing on the monument. The police suspect the vandalism took place Friday night but have no immediate suspects.

The memorial which opened in May is located across the street from the much-larger memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust.