CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A 30-foot sculpture will soon make its home along Chicago’s lakefront, marking the first installment of the city’s first public AIDS garden.

The new AIDS Garden Chicago will unveil “Self-Portrait,” the first sculpture to be part of the garden by late iconic HIV/AIDS activist and artist Keith Haring. The entire garden will be completed next fall.

The garden, which is sponsored by the Chicago Parks Foundation and is the brain child of 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney, will be the city’s first public monument to memorialize the early days of Chicago’s HIV epidemic and to honor those who continue to fight against the disease today.

The location of the installation is important to the cause’s history in Chicago, said Chicago Parks Foundation Executive Director Willa Lang. The art piece will be along Lake Michigan, south of Belmont Harbor, at the original location of the “Belmont Rocks,” a space where the local gay community gathered between the 1960s and 1990s. 

Lang said the project represents the legacy and history of the city and individuals who have been affected and still are living with HIV/AIDS. 

“We are far from eradicating the disease, but this garden and iconic Keith Haring sculpture will serve as a beacon of hope and unity for all,” :Lang said. “This is truly a park with a purpose and a message.”

Tunney, whose ward includes the project and is an active member in Chicago’s LGBTQ community, said phase one of the project is the result of hard work by multiple community partners.

“’Self-Portrait’s’ new home at AIDS Garden Chicago, in the 44th ward, is a small but powerful way to continue talking about the epidemic as we fight to bring both HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths to zero,” Tunney said.

The bright green and nearly three-story high sculpture will be the largest version of this popular sculpture that has ever been fabricated, Lang said, and the Chicago Parks Foundation expects it to be the Garden’s signature anchor and gathering point.

Mayor Lightfoot expressed support of this project and said it will serve as a permanent reminder of how far Chicago has come while recognizing those who continue the work of getting to zero new HIV infections.

“The fight against HIV/AIDS represents more than a health epidemic: it symbolizes a time in our history when the LGBTQ+ and ally communities came together in the face of tragedy,” said Lightfoot, who is a big LGBTQ advocate. “We lost countless neighbors and friends and relatives over the years, but we have made significant strides in combatting the virus. What was one of the darkest moments of the 20th century has given way to a blooming garden of hope and love.”

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HIV may persist in the central nervous system (CNS) despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART), which could lead to cognitive impairment, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. 

Most HIV research has focused on blood CD4+ memory T cells as the major viral reservoir; however, HIV persists in other sites, such as mucosal lymphoid tissue, bone marrow, and the brain, where infection can lead to CNS manifestations. 

According to the study authors, large studies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells in participants on ART who have suppressed plasma HIV RNA levels have not been previously performed. 

For the study, the researchers assessed HIV persistence in CSF and the associations with inflammation and cognitive performance during long-term ART. The study included mostly men aged 45 to 66 years who have had their infections controlled with ART for an average of 9 years. To assess HIV persistence, the researchers analyzed each individual’s CSF for HIV DNA and then compared the data to each of their results from standard neurocognitive evaluations. 

Overall, approximately half of the study participants had viral DNA in cells in the CSF, suggesting the presence of latent virus. However, only 4% of participants had detectable HIV RNA in cell-free CSF fluid, according to the findings. Additionally, 30% of those with persistent HIV DNA in the CSF experienced clinical neurocognitive impairment compared with 11% of individuals whose CSF did not contain viral DNA. The researchers did not correlate CSF inflammatory biomarkers with HIV persistence. 

“The striking observation that almost half of participants harbored HIV-infected cells in the CSF demonstrates that the CNS compartment is a site of viral persistence despite many years of viremia suppression on ART,” the authors wrote in the study. 

Although the findings indicate that persistent HIV-infected cells in the CNS may contribute to neurocognitive impairment, the authors noted that the overall frequency of cognitive impairment in this group was relatively low. Still, the study demonstrated a higher-than-expected prevalence of persistent HIV in the CNS, pointing to continued obstacles in the complete eradication of HIV from the body. 

“Our study indicates that examination of CSF cells is important in assessing residual HIV in compartments during ART,” the researchers wrote. 

Furthermore, sensitive methods of HIV detection combined with more research of CSF cells can help provide more insight into the CNS reservoir of HIV, the authors concluded. 

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