A Toronto man is on course to become the first Canadian cured of HIV, thanks to a rare bone marrow transplant treatment. Known as the "Toronto patient," the 62-year-old was diagnosed with HIV in 1999 and initially managed the virus with antiretroviral therapy. In 2021, he developed life-threatening blood cancer that required chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, making him a rare candidate for the expensive and risky treatment.
The patient is now in remission and on track to become the first Canadian to achieve cure status through this method. The patient prefers not to disclose his identity publicly. Medical experts describe the achievement as miraculous, though acknowledge significant limitations to the approach.
Dr. Sharon Walmsley, director of the HIV/AIDS clinic at Toronto General Hospital, is overseeing the patient's case. Walmsley, who worked as a medical intern during the early HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, said witnessing the disease's devastating impact nearly caused her to leave medicine. "I used to spend every night sitting on someone's bed watching them die," she recalled.
The treatment has cured between five and ten people worldwide, making it exceptionally rare. Medical experts emphasise that the treatment only works in specific cases and note that more research is needed to develop a general cure. The perfect convergence of circumstances required — developing both HIV and blood cancer whilst matching with one of a very limited number of bone marrow donors with specific genetic markers — means eligibility remains extremely restricted.
