Recently stumbled upon this article:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1858843,00.html

Pretty cool! Seems the bone marrow from an HLA-B27 positive individual was transplanted into someone who was HIV positive and they have now been negative for over 2 years. While it is hard to say this is a "cure," it certainly seems promising

Im going to go register for bone marrow donation immediately!

Fascinating! But where did you get that the idea that "genetic mutation that makes [about 1% of Europeans'] cells resistant to HIV infection" is HLA-B27?

And while this is very cool, the article did go on to say:

"Is this a viable cure for HIV? Not by a long shot. Even Huetter says bone-marrow transplants, which kill about a third of patients, are so dangerous that "they can't be justified ethically" in anything other than desperate situations like late-stage leukemia."

Far from a cure, unfortunately, and not accessible to the people in developing nations who most desperately need effective means to stop the destruction HIV/AIDS is causing :*(

That said - it is free, easy, and virtually painless to register as a marrow (and organ/tissue!!) donor - I encourage everyone to do it today if you haven't already! And then - tell your loved ones so they will carry out your wishes.

Editing, I looked around to see how this guy is doing now (the article you linked to was from 2008) - apparently he is well with no sign of HIV or cancer!

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/health/healthy_living/why-hiv-advance-is-not-a-universal-cure

Editing again, the doctor has just published a VERY long paper in a well respected journal (blood) on this case... it has no references to HLA-B27. Here is a link to the article for those who can slog through 30 pages of intensely technical jargon:

http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/reprint/blood-2010-09-309591v1

HLA-B27+ is renowned for extending lifespan in HIV infected patients.
However in this article they are talking about a genetic modification on the cell surface called CCR-5-delta-32.

I am unsure of CCR-5-delta-32 relationship to HLA-B27 if any.

I was going to say, I read this article last week and didn't see any reference to HLA-B27. Whew, I thought I was losing it.

anna