Norwegian Man Effectively Cured of HIV After Rare Stem Cell Transplant
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Apr 13
Norwegian Man Effectively Cured of HIV After Rare Stem Cell Transplant
15 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Apr 13
A 63-year-old Norwegian man has achieved long-term HIV remission after a stem cell transplant from his brother, who carries a rare HIV-resistant mutation.
The transplant, originally intended to treat blood cancer, resulted in the patient's immune system being replaced with cells lacking the CCR5 receptor HIV uses to infect cells.
While such transplants are too risky for routine HIV treatment, this rare case offers valuable insights for future HIV cure research.
A brother’s gift cured HIV. Why was a sibling donor so unique?
Could gene editing provide this HIV cure without a life-threatening transplant?
This HIV cure cost over $350,000. Will it ever be affordable?
What ancient plague gave some Europeans a natural immunity to HIV?
Did the treatment’s dangerous side effect actually help eliminate the virus?
Is the secret to eradicating the world’s deadliest viruses hidden in our gut?
CCR5-Δ32 Stem Cell Transplants Lead to Sustained HIV Remission in Six Global Cases Including Oslo
Overview
The Oslo patient, diagnosed with HIV in 2006 and blood cancer in 2017, underwent a stem cell transplant in 2020 using donor cells with a rare CCR5Δ32/Δ32 mutation. This mutation causes defective CCR5 proteins, preventing HIV from entering immune cells. After the transplant, the patient stopped antiretroviral therapy and has maintained sustained HIV remission for over 2.5 years. While this transplant method shows promise, it carries high risks like graft-versus-host disease and significant mortality, limiting its use to cancer patients. Inspired by these successes, researchers are developing safer, scalable cures using gene editing and mRNA technologies, aiming for combination therapies to achieve lasting HIV remission.