HIV Cure Research: Expanding the Ethical Considerations

Mounting evidence is fueling excitement over the pos-sibility of curing HIV infection. Two “Boston pa-tients ” who had bone marrow transplantations (1) and a “Mississippi baby ” who was given aggressive antiretroviral therapy (2) soon after birth seem to be free of HIV infec-tion. These accounts add to earlier reports of the “Berlin patient ” who lacks evidence of HIV infection after trans-plantation with cells conferring HIV resistance (3) and members of the Visconti cohort who appear to be free of HIV infection after stopping antiretroviral therapy (4). In aggregate, these findings support the plausibility of “HIV cure research ” aimed at eliminating the need for continu-ous antiretroviral therapy, with its inherent burdens and costs. Research HIV cures includes diverse approaches, rang-ing from bone marrow transplantation, to aggressive earl