A patient at the Sainte-Marguerite Hospital in Marseille could be the first case of someone being cured of HIV in France – thanks to a bone marrow transplant, marking a significant turning point in the fight against the disease.
Diagnosed with HIV in 1999, the patient was treated with antiretroviral drugs, achieving an undetectable viral load in 2010. In 2020, acute myeloid leukaemia was diagnosed, requiring a bone marrow transplant.
Fortunately, reports France Healthcare, the medical team from the Paoli-Calmettes Institute found a donor compatible with a rare genetic mutation, Delta32, which prevents HIV from entering cells.
Promising results
To date, only seven cases worldwide of a functional cure of HIV after an allogeneic bone marrow transplant – aimed at treating lymphoma or leukaemia – have been reported. In six of these cases, the donor carried the Delta32 mutation in the CCR5 receptor.
In the Marseille case, after the transplant, the patient continued her ARV treatment for three years before stopping in October 2023, and was followed very regularly by her doctor at the Sainte-Marguerite Hospital.
Further in-depth virological examinations were carried out during the monitoring period, in particular to determine the “possible virus reservoir still present in her body”.
However, the tests were all negative.
The results of this case were presented at international conferences in Munich and Glasgow in 2024.
Although this strategy is not feasible for all patients due to its onerous nature, it offers new research opportunities and a greater understanding of HIV. The public hospitals of Marseille are now working with a Paris-based team to consolidate these results before publication.
Reminder
On 20 May 1983, a team of Institut Pasteur researchers led by Nobel Prize-winners Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Jean-Claude Chermann made a revolutionary discovery, identifying the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Forty years on, this discovery continues to mark a turning point in the fight against Aids, enabling significant advances in research and treatment of this disease.
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The ongoing search for a cure for HIV
‘London Patient’ steps out of the shadows
Man declared ‘HIV-free’ after stem cell transplant
Third patient HIV-free after virus-resistant cell transplant
Fourth person cured of HIV, fifth success in the wings: AIDS 2022 conference