Infectious Disease Frontier

From July 22 to 26, 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) took place in Munich, Germany, attracting 15,000 professionals and advocates worldwide to discuss the latest advancements and future challenges in HIV prevention and treatment. At the conference, a research team from Children's National Hospital in the United States, along with several collaborating institutions, presented findings from a study on the use of long-acting injectable HIV therapy (CAB/RPV) as a standard treatment regimen for adolescents and young adults with HIV (AYHIV). This study focused on the viral suppression rates, safety, and treatment adherence of AYHIV patients treated with CAB/RPV, providing new insights for long-term treatment management in this population.

The "Berlin Patient" is renowned as the first person in the world to be cured of HIV, marking a significant milestone in medical history. Over a decade later, the pioneering team at Germany’s Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has announced the successful treatment of the "Next Berlin Patient," representing the 7th global case of HIV cure. Publicly available data indicates that this patient has remained virus-free for over five years without antiretroviral therapy (ART). What sets this case apart is that the treatment method differed from those used in previous cures. Detailed treatment information will be presented at the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich on July 24.

Numerous studies have explored the use of long-acting antiretroviral therapy (Long-acting ART) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), achieving positive preventive outcomes. However, the promotion of long-acting PrEP still faces many challenges. Additionally, how can adherence to existing oral PrEP regimens be further improved? At the recently held 9th Asia Pacific AIDS & Co-infections Conference (APACC 2024), Dr. Chunyan Li from the The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study participated in several panel discussions and shared her team's research findings, offering more insights and reflections on these issues.

In the era of 5G, the consumption and entertainment habits of sexually active young people have changed significantly, including activities such as drinking coffee, shopping, watching movies, and taking selfies. It is essential to continuously explore and improve strategies for testing and preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that are tailored to the times and local conditions. At the recent 9th Asia Pacific AIDS & Co-infections Conference (APACC 2024), Dr. Ye Zhang from the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, Australia, presented "Innovations in Implementation Strategies of Delivery Models," introducing the "Pay it Forward" strategy and sharing more insights in an interview with Infectious Diseases Frontier.

Recently, at the 9th Asia-Pacific AIDS& Co- Infections Conference 2024 (APACC 2024), Dr. Brigitte Quenum, UNAIDS Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, delivered a speech entitled "Challenges & Success in the Region" and in an interview with Infectious Disease Frontier,she introduced the challenges and solutions of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in the Asia- Pacific region, with particular emphasis on breaking the "isolated island" model of government or community fighting alone and achieving the integration of multiple resources.

For HIV patients, encountering malignancies is akin to a double blow, exacerbating their already challenging condition. HIV-infected individuals commonly face opportunistic diseases such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Enhancing early diagnosis and treatment of HIV-associated tumors and refining clinical management strategies are critical areas for clinical and research exploration. At the recent 9th Asia Pacific AIDS and Co-infections Conference (APACC 2024), Dr. Rongqiu Liu from Professor Hua You’s team at Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University presented two studies on risk prediction models for HIV-associated lymphomas and received conference funding support. "Infectious Diseases Frontier" interviewed Dr. Liu on-site to discuss her team’s research findings and management strategies for patients with HIV-associated malignancies.

From April 27th to 30th, 2024, the 34th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID Global 2024) took place in Barcelona, Spain, known as the "Pearl of the Iberian Peninsula." ESCMID Global, formerly known as ECCMID, stands as one of the most influential international conferences in the field of infectious diseases. Often, clinical trials of antibiotics exclude special populations such as obese or underweight individuals, resulting in limited evidence for their treatment strategies. At this conference, several studies and advancements regarding antibiotic management and prescription, including interventions, monitoring, influences, decision support/predictive tools, and behavioral aspects, were reported. Below is a summary of the insights shared by Professor Wenxiang Huang  from the Department of Geriatrics at The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) refers to all mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae. NTM most commonly affect the lungs, causing NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), which can even lead to disseminated disease in immunocompromised individuals. In recent years, with changes in the environment, updates in detection technology, and increased awareness among physicians, the incidence of NTM-PD has been steadily increasing, with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease being the most common worldwide. At the recent Fourth National Conference of the Chinese Medical Association on Bacterial and Fungal Infections (BISC 2024), Professor Hongfei Duan from the Department of Tuberculosis, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, delivered a fascinating presentation titled "Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Mycobacterium avium Complex Pulmonary Disease," elucidating and analyzing the current status, challenges, and progress in the diagnosis and treatment of MAC pulmonary disease.

On June 20, Gilead Sciences declared a significant milestone in HIV prevention with the announcement of their long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, Lenacapavir, demonstrating a 100% efficacy rate in preventing HIV infection in women, outperforming the daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) regimen.

In a pioneering clinical trial, a novel multifunctional CAR-T cell treatment has demonstrated remarkable efficacy and safety in HIV-1 infected patients, potentially paving the way for a functional cure for HIV/AIDS. Published in Cell Discovery, the phase I study introduced M10 CAR-T cells, engineered to incorporate endogenous broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and the follicle-homing receptor CXCR5.