In a new study from New York-Presbyterian, researchers found that a woman they have been treating for both HIV and leukemia has apparently been cured of HIV—14 months after discontinuing antivirals, she still is testing negative for the HIV virus.
Prior to this most recent effort, only two other people have ever been cured of an HIV infection—both were male, and both were also suffering from leukemia.
Those patients were treated with a bone marrow transplant from another person who carried a genetic mutation that is known to block HIV infections.
In this study, the woman was given cord blood from a person with the same genetic mutation as the donor for the two prior cured patients. She was also given blood stem cells from a first-degree relative.
The stem cells were given to bolster the woman’s immune system while the donated cord blood cells became dominant in her system.
Such stem cells take approximately six weeks to become dominant, unlike those from a bone marrow transplant, which take much less time.
The woman continued to take the antiviral drugs that keep HIV at bay for 37 months after the procedure until 14 months ago, and she is still HIV-free.
The team could not explain why the cord blood cells worked so well to get rid of the HIV virus, but suspect it has something to do with their ability to adapt to a new environment.
They also suspect that cord blood may contain stem cells that aid the process. They also note that the fact that the patient was female and also of mixed race was an important part of their research.
Most studies involving efforts to treat or cure HIV have involved white men.
The team says that cord blood is much easier to obtain than the stem cells used in bone marrow transplants and that the procedure was much gentler on the patient than the typical bone marrow transplant.
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The study was presented at Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
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