Researchers from the Pasteur Institute (France) and the University Hospitals of Geneva (Switzerland) will present this Monday in Brisbane (Australia), within the framework of the International Conference on HIV Science (IAS), the sixth case of 'cure' of HIV after a bone marrow transplant, known as the 'Geneva patient'.

In February, details of a third case of HIV remission after a bone marrow transplant were published in the scientific journal 'Nature Medicine', that of the patient from Düsseldorf. A total of five people (patients from Berlin, London, Düsseldorf, New York and City of Hope) are now considered to be probably cured of HIV infection after receiving a bone marrow transplant.

In all these cases, the bone marrow came from donors who carry the rare CCR5-delta 32 genetic mutation, known to provide cells with natural protection against HIV.

Now, the importance of the Geneva patient lies in the fact that the transplant was taken from a donor who is not a carrier of the CCR5-delta 32 mutation.

Therefore, unlike the cells of other individuals who are considered cured, this person's cells remain permeable to HIV.. Despite this, the virus remained undetectable 20 months after stopping antiretroviral therapy.

The Geneva patient has lived with HIV since the early 1990s and received antiretroviral therapy early on. In 2018, he underwent a stem cell transplant as a treatment for an especially aggressive form of leukemia.

One month after the transplant, tests showed that the patient's blood cells had been completely replaced by cells from the donor, and this was accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of HIV-infected cells.. Antiretroviral therapy was gradually tapered and discontinued permanently in November 2021.

Testing within 20 months of stopping therapy found no viral particles, no latent viral reservoirs, and no increased immune response against the virus in the individual's body.. Although these tests do not rule out the persistence of the virus in his body, the scientific team can classify the Geneva patient as a case of remission of HIV infection.

“What has happened to me is wonderful and magical: now we can focus on the future,” the patient said in a statement.

One of those responsible for the research, the Spanish Asier Sáez-Cirión, head of the Viral Reservoirs and Immune Control Unit of the Pasteur Institute, has pointed out, however, that this procedure to 'cure' HIV “is not applicable on a large scale due to its aggressiveness”.

“But this new case provides unexpected insights into the mechanisms of elimination and control of viral reservoirs, which will play a key role in the design of curative HIV treatments,” he stressed.

“Thanks to this unique situation, we are exploring new avenues in the hope that one day HIV remission or even cure will no longer be an isolated event,” added Alexandra Calmy, Director of the HIV/AIDS Unit at the University Hospitals of Geneva.