Three patients who are thought to be among the first in the world to be officially cured of HIV explain the process and their feelings during the International AIDS conference in Munich. They all received stem cell transplants, a painful and risky procedure for people who have both HIV and aggressive leukaemia. It is, therefore, not an option for most of the people living with HIV. "They're inspiring. They give us new ideas to test, but they're very rare. Only seven people out of 40 million people living with HIV. So these are very rare cases, but they inspire new directions in science," says President of the International AIDS Society, Sharon Lewin. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES