Report on the event held with Romuald, the Geneva patient, and patient organizations

A few hours before the opening of the conference "40 years of HIV science", the Institut Pasteur organized a special event for those involved in charities and organizations tackling HIV/AIDS. The aim was to foster close links between participants and the Institut Pasteur's scientists, and also to provide an opportunity to meet and hear from Romuald, a patient in HIV remission from Geneva.

The event, which was deliberately kept on a small scale, represented a unique opportunity to maintain a tangible link between the Institut Pasteur's research and the individuals affected. The participants were given an overview of the main presentations that would be given during the conference and were able to speak in person with experts including Asier Sáez-Cirión, Head of the Viral Reservoirs and Immune Control Unit, and Michaela Muller-Trutwin, Head of the HIV, Inflammation and Persistence Unit. They also had the exclusive opportunity to hear from Romuald, who was sharing his unusual story for the first time at an organized event. Following these discussions, participants had the opportunity to visit two research laboratories working on HIV.

Romuald's attendance at the event led to his first media interviews, in which he shared a message of positivity and hope on the eve of World AIDS Day. His visit to the Institut Pasteur also included a moving encounter in Asier Sáez-Cirión's unit, where Romuald's blood samples have been under analysis for more than two years. This was the first time Asier and Romuald had met in person, and their encounter added a touching human dimension to their scientific collaboration.

See Romuald's statements to the media:

Le Parisien

France Inter

France Info