4. A Cure For HIV
What It Can Do: Cure A.I.D.S.
Discovered By: Dr. Gero Hütter
Est. Cost: $193,000*
Since its discovery in 1981, being diagnosed with A.I.D.S has, essentially, been an extended death sentence. Due to the virus’s ability to mutate, seemingly, at will doctors had been unable to find a way of curing those afflicted. Recently, however, a cure has been found in an unlikely place.
A Cure For HIV ©mikeforemniakowski / Shutterstock.com
After undergoing a bone marrow transplant, that was intended to help fight his leukemia, a man, who had previously contracted A.I.D.S., has successfully been cured of HIV. The CCR5 gene, in the marrow that was received by the patients, contained a mutation that prevents the binding of HIV to the cells in one’s body, and has opened the door to a possible solution for one of the world’s most frightening medical issues.