Source: Two more people with HIV may be cured after stem cell transplants, aidsmap, Mar 2025. Summary written by Future Health GCC.
What happened
At the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco in March 2025, doctors described two more men who appear to be free of HIV after stem cell transplants they needed for blood cancer. If they stay in remission, they will be the ninth and tenth people with a functional cure of HIV after this kind of transplant.
The two new cases
The “Chicago patient”, a 67-year-old man with acute myeloid leukaemia, received stem cells from an unrelated donor with two copies of a genetic change called CCR5-delta-32, which blocks the main doorway most HIV strains use to enter cells. When he first stopped his HIV medicines, the virus briefly returned. After nearly two more years of treatment he stopped again, and he has remained in remission for 10 months.
The “Oslo patient”, a 58-year-old man with a condition that can lead to leukaemia, received stem cells from his brother, who also carried two copies of the mutation. Two years after stopping his HIV medicines, his viral load is still undetectable and no intact virus has been found in his blood or gut.
A link to cord blood
Earlier cases show that different kinds of transplant can work. One of them, the “New York patient”, was treated with umbilical cord blood cells carrying the CCR5-delta-32 mutation, combined with stem cells from a relative. Scientists are still working out what the cases have in common.
How far along it is
A stem cell transplant is intensive and risky, and it is only used for people who need it to treat cancer. It is not a realistic cure for most people living with HIV. Researchers hope these cases will point the way to safer approaches, such as gene therapy.
What it means for families
These cases show how powerful blood-forming stem cells can be, including cells from umbilical cord blood. For people with HIV, daily treatment remains the standard and highly effective way to control the virus.
Read the original article on aidsmap →
This is a summary of published research, written by Future Health GCC. It is not medical advice. Speak to your doctor about any treatment.
Photo: NIAID, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).