Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy in persons living with HIV

Purpose of review Summarize the latest research of both stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy and present the implications with respect to persons with HIV (PWH), hematologic malignancies, and HIV-1 cure. Recent findings Allogeneic (alloSCT) and autologous (autoSCT) stem cell transplantation have been shown to be well tolerated and effective regardless of HIV-1 status. AlloSCT leads to a decrease in the HIV-1 latently infected reservoir orders of magnitude below that achieved with antiretroviral therapy (ART) alone. Utilization of CCR5Δ2/Δ32 donors in an alloSCT has resulted in HIV-1 cures. In the last 12 months, three cases of cure have been published, giving further insight into the conditions required for HIV-1 control. Other advances in the treatment of hematological cancers include chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) therapy, which are active in PWH with lymphoma. Summary Here we discuss the advances in SCT and cellular therapy in PWH and cancer. Additionally, we discuss how these technologies are being utilized to achieve HIV-1 cure.