Researchers have reported the third known case of HIV remission, tentatively being called the "New York patient" after a stem cell transplant in a woman with HIV infection at CROI 2022, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), which ended yesterday. There have been two cases of HIV remission, known as the “Berlin patient” (2008) and the “London patient” (2019).

The patient received a haplo-cord stem cell transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation (CCR5-delta 32) in 2017 for acute myeloid leukemia. Three years later, ART was discontinued. No detectable levels of the virus have been noted for more than a year (14 months), even though the patient is no longer on antiretroviral therapy (ART). As per the researchers, her leukemia is also in remission.

The “Berlin patient” was in remission for 12 years and his HIV infection was considered to be cured. The patient passed away due to recurrence of leukemia in 2020. The “London patient” has been in HIV remission for more than 2.5 years following stem cell transplant for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The presentation was a part of the multicenter International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trial Network (IMPAACT) P1107 observational study, which commenced in 2015. The study is looking into the impact of cord blood transplantation with CCR5Δ32 donor cells in 25 HIV-1 infected subjects who require bone marrow transplantation for any indication on the persistence of HIV.

(Source: National Institutes of Health, February 15, 2022)