Norway Man ‘Likely Cured’ of HIV After Stem Cell Transplant From Brother

A man in Norway has been functionally cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother. He is now part of a small but growing group of people worldwide who have achieved this outcome.

HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS. Advances in prevention and treatment, such as PrEP and antiretroviral therapy (ART), have greatly improved health outcomes and lowered the risk of spreading the virus.

Even with these advances, a cure for HIV has been hard to find. However, in rare cases, patients have been functionally cured after a stem cell transplant used to treat cancer or other blood disorders. In this context, “functional cure” means long-term HIV remission without needing ongoing medication.

The “Oslo patient,” a 63-year-old man, is now considered functionally cured five years after receiving a stem cell transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndrome. Researchers confirmed his remission by testing blood, gut, and bone marrow samples, finding no signs of the virus hiding in his body.

This case, published in *Nature Microbiology*, is the first time HIV remission has followed a stem cell donation from a sibling.

Most cases of HIV remission after a stem cell transplant involve donors who carry a rare genetic mutation called CCR5Δ32. This mutation blocks HIV from entering immune cells. The Oslo patient’s brother carried this mutation, which played a key role in the outcome.

But the mutation alone is not the whole story. Dr. Steven Deeks, an HIV expert at UCSF who was not involved in the study, said, “There have now been 10 successful transplants. Each is unique, but they collectively show that there are multiple ways a bone marrow transplant can help cure HIV.”

Dr. Augusto Dulanto, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, called the case “a cause for optimism” in HIV research.

Stem cell transplants work by first destroying much of the patient’s own bone marrow and immune system with chemotherapy or radiation. Then, healthy donor stem cells are infused to rebuild the immune system. This process can greatly reduce the number of cells that harbor HIV, known as the viral reservoir.

When donor cells carry the CCR5Δ32 mutation, they make the recipient’s new immune system resistant to HIV. This mutation is rare, found in about 3% of people worldwide, and is most common in northern European populations.

In some cases, even when the donor does not carry the mutation, patients have achieved remission. Researchers believe a complication of the transplant called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) may help. In GVHD, the donor’s immune cells attack the patient’s remaining cells. This can also target and destroy cells hiding HIV, an effect called “graft-versus-reservoir.”

Dr. Marshall Glesby, an HIV researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, explained that drugs used to treat GVHD, such as ruxolitinib and vedolizumab, may also have anti-HIV effects. ART is also used during recovery to protect new immune cells from infection.

Together, these factors may reduce or eliminate HIV reservoirs, leading to long-term remission.

HIV remains a major health issue. About 1.2 million people in the U.S. and over 40 million worldwide live with HIV. ART can suppress the virus to undetectable levels, meaning there is effectively no risk of transmitting it.

However, stem cell transplants are not a practical cure for most people. The procedure carries a 10–20% risk of death within the first year. Even if successful, cancer relapse is the leading cause of death after transplant.

“The HIV treatments we have today are often just one pill per day, similar to how we treat high blood pressure,” Dulanto said. “A procedure like HSCT has to be worthwhile, such as in cases where you may be able to cure both HIV and a blood cancer at the same time.”

Still, Glesby noted that ART is not a cure, and some people struggle with daily medication. Even when HIV is controlled, ongoing immune system activation can contribute to other health problems, including heart disease.

Despite the limits of stem cell transplants, the Oslo patient’s case helps scientists better understand how genetics, immune response, and drug therapy can work together to achieve HIV remission.

“There’s still interest in achieving long-term control of HIV without having to take medications,” Glesby said. “All of these efforts are aimed at helping people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.”