24 min

Episode 15 - A Journey from HIV to Cure with Adam Castillejo, also known as The London Patient, Part 1 Recorded Live at CROI 2024 on March 3, 2024 Going anti-Viral

    • Medicina

In this episode of Going anti-Viral, host Dr Michael Saag interviews Adam Castillejo, known as the London patient, who is the second person to have been cured of HIV infection. The discussion, recorded on March 3, 2024, at The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), touches on Adam's initial HIV diagnosis in London during the early 2000s, the societal stigma and personal impact of the diagnosis, and his dual battle with HIV and cancer. Adam shares the complex journey of his treatment, including the failure of initial interventions and the ultimate success of a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a CCR5 delta 32 mutation, leading to his cure of HIV and cancer. The conversation delves into the technical aspects of bone marrow transplant, the emotional and physical challenges Adam faced during recovery, and the continued stigma he experiences even post-cure. The episode reflects on the broader implications of Adam's story for HIV research and societal perceptions of the disease.


00:00 Introduction


01:10 Adam's Early Struggle with HIV Diagnosis


02:46 Confronting Stigma and Finding Support


05:26 The Battle Against Cancer and Mental Health Challenges


08:35 The Turning Point: Bone Marrow Transplant


15:14 The Journey of Recovery


17:29 Life After the Cure


22:37 Concluding Thoughts
__________________________________________________

Produced by IAS-USA, Going anti–Viral is a podcast for clinicians involved in research and care in HIV, its complications, and other viral infections. This podcast is intended as a technical source of information for specialists in this field, but anyone listening will enjoy learning more about the state of modern medicine around viral infections.
Going anti-Viral’s host is Dr Michael Saag, a physician, prominent HIV researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and volunteer IAS–USA board member. In most episodes, Dr Saag interviews an expert in infectious diseases or emerging pandemics about their area of specialty and current developments in the field. Other episodes are drawn from the IAS–USA vast catalogue of panel discussions, Dialogues, and other audio from various meetings and conferences.

Email podcast@iasusa.org to send feedback, show suggestions, or questions to be answered on a later episode.

Follow Going anti-Viral on:
Apple Podcasts
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
...

In this episode of Going anti-Viral, host Dr Michael Saag interviews Adam Castillejo, known as the London patient, who is the second person to have been cured of HIV infection. The discussion, recorded on March 3, 2024, at The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), touches on Adam's initial HIV diagnosis in London during the early 2000s, the societal stigma and personal impact of the diagnosis, and his dual battle with HIV and cancer. Adam shares the complex journey of his treatment, including the failure of initial interventions and the ultimate success of a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a CCR5 delta 32 mutation, leading to his cure of HIV and cancer. The conversation delves into the technical aspects of bone marrow transplant, the emotional and physical challenges Adam faced during recovery, and the continued stigma he experiences even post-cure. The episode reflects on the broader implications of Adam's story for HIV research and societal perceptions of the disease.


00:00 Introduction


01:10 Adam's Early Struggle with HIV Diagnosis


02:46 Confronting Stigma and Finding Support


05:26 The Battle Against Cancer and Mental Health Challenges


08:35 The Turning Point: Bone Marrow Transplant


15:14 The Journey of Recovery


17:29 Life After the Cure


22:37 Concluding Thoughts
__________________________________________________

Produced by IAS-USA, Going anti–Viral is a podcast for clinicians involved in research and care in HIV, its complications, and other viral infections. This podcast is intended as a technical source of information for specialists in this field, but anyone listening will enjoy learning more about the state of modern medicine around viral infections.
Going anti-Viral’s host is Dr Michael Saag, a physician, prominent HIV researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and volunteer IAS–USA board member. In most episodes, Dr Saag interviews an expert in infectious diseases or emerging pandemics about their area of specialty and current developments in the field. Other episodes are drawn from the IAS–USA vast catalogue of panel discussions, Dialogues, and other audio from various meetings and conferences.

Email podcast@iasusa.org to send feedback, show suggestions, or questions to be answered on a later episode.

Follow Going anti-Viral on:
Apple Podcasts
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
...

24 min