Timothy Brown made medical history when he became the first patient who was essentially cured of HIV, after receiving a stem cell transplant from a person who was genetically resistant to the infection. Now, doctors are hoping to build on Browns success by treating HIV patients using cord blood units that have the same HIV-resistant gene.

Brown, 46, was a student living in Berlin in 1995 when he tested positive for HIV. He responded well to therapies for the disease until 2006, when doctors also diagnosed him with acute myeloid leukemia.

The doctor who treated Brown, Dr. Gero Htter from Berlins University Hospital, proposed to tackle his leukemia by using chemotherapy to wipe out his immune system, and then rebuild the immune system with a bone marrow transplant.

However, when searching for an appropriate match, Htter kept his eyes out for a specific donor: one who carried a genetic mutation called delta 32, which disables the CCR5 receptor on immune system cells. The CCR5 receptor is the one HIV uses to infect its victims meaning people who carry the mutation are essentially immune to the disease. Approximately one percent of Europeans carry the mutation, but it is rarer people of African, Asian, or South American descent.

Out of 232 potential donors, Htter found a match for Brown, who also carried the delta 32 mutation, on the 67th try. The doctors performed the transplant, repopulating Browns bone marrow cells with the donor cells. Months later, Brown was in remission for leukemia and had no trace of HIV in his body.

And while Browns leukemia eventually recurred a year later, necessitating another transplant, his HIV never did.

I still have some disabilities due to the treatments its not perfect, Brown told FoxNews.com, explaining that he suffered from speech and balance issues following the procedure. But it is my life, and Im very happy not to have to worry about HIV anymore.

However, Browns stem cell transplant isnt feasible as a widespread treatment for HIV patients, according to doctors. It can be highly difficult to find a matching bone marrow donor let alone one who also carries the HIV-resistant gene.

The cord blood idea came about later because of the success with my transplant, Brown said. In my case, using stem cells, they had to find a perfect match for me. With cord blood, you dont have to use donors that are an exact match, so it means doctors are more likely to find a donor who will work.

Dr. Lawrence Petz, a stem cell transplantation specialist, as well as chief medical officer for StemCyte and president of the Cord Blood Forum, explained cord blood essentially gives doctors more leeway in regards to matching patients with donors and opens the possibility of treating many more people.

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Doctors look to cure HIV patients with cord blood units