Cured: The People Who Defeated HIV - Softcover

Holt, Nathalia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142181846 ISBN 13: 9780142181843

Publisher: Plume Books, 2015

Synopsis

"Nathalia Holt presents a thorough account of the research that provides scientists with hope that a cure will one day be achievable... and her empathy shines through in her prose. This is as important a social history as it is a medical document."--The Daily Beast

Two patients--each known in medical history as the Berlin Patient--were cured of the HIV virus. The two patients' disparate cures came twelve years apart, but Nathalia Holt, an award-winning scientist at the forefront of HIV research, connects the molecular dots of these cases for the first time.

Scientists are known to maintain a professional distance from those they study, but sometimes scientists are not just investigators, they are caregivers, too. Cured illustrates that even in the era of high-tech and big pharma, the way doctors and patients communicate remains a critical ingredient in the advance of this science. Holt offers a kind of hope that the thirty-four million people currently infected with HIV need and a story of ingenuity, dedication, and humanity that will inspire the rest of us.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Cured

"It's one of the most incredible stories in medical science: a cure for HIV. Nathalia Holt tells the personal stories of the patients, their families, and their doctors."--National Geographic

"One learns fascinating details about AIDS and shares Holt's hope...She is among those working to make the promise real"--New York Times Book Review

"Nathalia Holt presents a thorough account of the research that provides scientists with hope that a cure will one day be achievable... and her empathy shines through in her prose. This is as important a social history as it is a medical document."--The Daily Beast

"In this accessible and fascinating account, Holt, a research scientist trained at MIT and Harvard...brings to light the remarkable early breakthroughs in treating a once fatal condition." - Publishers Weekly

"A fascinating discourse on how medical science is zeroing in on an HIV vaccine after several anomalous triumphs...An astute AIDS retrospective blended with contemporary updates on aggressive medical strategies." - Kirkus Reviews

"In this exquisitely detailed telling of medicine's desperate fight to control the HIV epidemic, author Nathalia Holt reminds us that all the best medical stories are foremost stories of people - their determination, their courage, and their ability, in the best of circumstances, to rewrite history in a way that protects us all."--Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook

About the Author:

Nathalia Holt trained at Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, Harvard University, the University of Southern California, and Tulane University. She lives with her family in Boston.

About this edition

• Publisher: Plume Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0142181846
• ISBN 13: 9780142181843
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336