This patient received a bone marrow transplant, just like previous patients who recovered from HIV. But this time the method is a little different.
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A sixth HIV patient is in remission. The announcement was made on the night of Wednesday to Thursday July 20, during a scientific congress in Australia. This patient is nicknamed “the patient of Geneva”, because of the care he received in Switzerland. It was also treated by researchers from the Institut Pasteur in Paris.
The patient benefited from a bone marrow transplant, just like previous patients who recovered from HIV. A very heavy operation which was authorized only because he also suffered from blood cancer and needed this transplant.
20 months after the transplant: no more trace of the virus
But this time, the technique has changed. During transplants for previous patients, the researchers had introduced stem cells from donors who naturally had a very rare genetic mutation preventing the HIV virus from entering the cells. Not this time. They used “lambda” stem cells. Asier Saez-Cirionfrom the Institut Pasteur then looked for the presence of the virus in this patient from Geneva: “The number of infected cells has drastically decreased. We are no longer able to detect them. Today, 20 months later the virus has not reappeared. That is why we are talking about a period of remission”.
A remission, therefore, but not a cure for the moment. Researchers remain cautious because HIV may be hidden, silent and one day reappear in this patient. Despite everything, 20 months without seeing the virus almost surprised scientists.
Either the transplant worked extremely well and all the cells contaminated by HIV were replaced and eliminated, or the immunosuppressive treatments taken after the transplant have a beneficial effect on the patient, protecting him. This is a new avenue that researchers will explore.