Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

HIV-1 cure after CCR5Δ32/Δ32 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

We describe a 53-year-old man with HIV-1 who received allogeneic CCR5Δ32/Δ32 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in 2013 to treat acute myeloid leukemia. Four years after analytic treatment interruption (ATI), the absence of viral rebound and the lack of immunological correlates of HIV-1 antigen persistence provide convincing evidence for HIV-1 cure.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Waning HIV-1-specific cellular and humoral immune responses before and after ATI.

References

  1. Cohn, L. B. et al. The biology of the HIV-1 latent reservoir and implications for cure Strategies. Cell Host Microbe 27, 519–530 (2020). A review article on the mechanisms contributing to HIV-1 persistence during antiretroviral therapy.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Henrich, T. J. et al. Antiretroviral-free HIV-1 remission and viral rebound after allogeneic stem cell transplantation report of 2 cases. Ann. Intern. Med. 161, 319–327 (2014). This paper describes two patients in whom allogeneic stem cell transplantation with CCR5 wild-type donor cells resulted in 12 and 32 weeks of antiretroviral-free HIV-1 remission followed by a subsequent viral rebound.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Hütter, G. et al. Long-term control of HIV by CCR5 Delta32/Delta32 stem-cell transplantation. N. Engl. J. Med. 360, 692–698 (2009). This article reports on the ‘Berlin patient’ — the first patient cured of HIV-1 by using a CCR5Δ32/Δ32 stem cell donor to treat his acute myeloid leukemia.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Eberhard, J. M. et al. Vulnerability to reservoir reseeding due to high immune activation after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in individuals with HIV-1. Sci. Transl. Med. 12, eaay9355 (2020). This study provides an in-depth longitudinal characterization of the T cell compartment in a cohort of 16 HIV-1 patients after allogeneic HSCT.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Deeks, S. G. et al. Research priorities for an HIV cure: International AIDS Society Global Scientific Strategy 2021. Nat. Med. 27, 2085–2098 (2021). A review article that provides an overview of the recent progress made related to HIV-1 cure, highlighting remaining knowledge gaps, and identifying priority research areas.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Jensen, B-E. O. et al. In-depth virological and immunological characterization of HIV-1 cure after 13 CCR5Δ32/Δ32 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nat. Med. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02213-x (2023).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

HIV-1 cure after CCR5Δ32/Δ32 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nat Med 29, 547–548 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02215-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02215-9

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research