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Geneva patient in HIV remission following bone marrow transplant

Geneva patient in HIV remission following bone marrow transplant
While this is not the first case of HIV remission following a bone marrow transplant, this case is unique. Keystone / Gerry Broome

A patient in Geneva is found to be in remission from HIV following a bone marrow transplant treatment for blood cancer. 

Only five people in the world are considered to likely have been cured of infection by the AIDS virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant, the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) said in a press release on Thursday. An individual is considered to be in remission from HIV when the HIV virus is no longer detectable, even after HIV treatment has been stopped. 

In all five previous cases, the transplant came from a donor carrying a rare CCR5 delta 32 genetic mutation, known to make cells naturally resistant to HIV.

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What makes this case in Geneva unique, is that the patient treated received a transplant from a donor who did not carry this particular CCR5 delta 32 genetic mutation.

Despite this, the virus remained undetectable 20 months after antiretroviral treatment was stopped. This case therefore provides unexpected data that could lead to new discoveries in HIV treatment.

This work is being presented at the International Aids Society (IAS) 2023 conference on HIV in Brisbane, Australia.

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