Two more individuals appear to be free of human immunodeficiency virus following stem cell transplants for cancer treatment, according to case presentations at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro. If both patients remain in remission, they will mark the 12th and 13th documented cases of a cure resulting from the procedure. International AIDS Society president Dr. Beatriz Grinsztejn noted during a media briefing that while the transplants are high-risk procedures for life-threatening cancers, these cases yield vital insights for broader cure research.
The Essen Patient and Hepatitis B Co-Infection
The patient treated at University Hospital Essen in Germany is notable as the first to have hepatitis B co-infection, according to Dr. Carina Elsner. Diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in 2010 at age 51, the man received a stem cell transplant in 2020 from an unrelated matched donor carrying double copies of the CCR5-delta32 mutation. This specific genetic mutation disables a receptor that most strains of HIV use to enter cells.
Testing revealed the Essen Patient carried mixed-tropic HIV, meaning his virus utilized both the CCR5 receptor and a secondary coreceptor called CXCR4. Despite the presence of CXCR4-tropic virus, the transplant successfully kept plasma viral loads undetectable. Fifty-one months post-transplant, the patient stopped antiretroviral therapy under medical supervision. Fourteen months after treatment interruption, his HIV load remains undetectable. However, 25 days after stopping antiretrovirals, he experienced a hepatitis B reactivation due to poor vaccine response post-transplant, eventually achieving hepatitis B remission after starting the antiviral entecavir.
Did you know?
The original Berlin Patient, Timothy Ray Brown, received two stem cell transplants for acute myeloid leukaemia and remained free of HIV for more than 13 years until his death in September 2020.
The Kansas City Patient: Youngest Recorded Case
Presented by Dr. Wissam El Atrouni of the University Kansas Medical Center, the Kansas City Patient stands as the youngest person to be cured after a stem cell transplant. Diagnosed with HIV in 2018 and acute myeloid leukaemia in June 2020 at age 21, the man underwent a matched donor transplant with the double CCR5-delta32 mutation in October 2020 following conditioning chemotherapy.
The procedure required a subsequent stem cell boost four months later due to incomplete effectiveness. The patient survived intensive care complications including E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, fungal sinusitis, cytomegalovirus colitis, and graft-versus-host disease. After starting an analytical treatment interruption in February 2025, his viral load, intact proviral DNA, and replication-competent virus remain undetectable in his blood 17 months post-transplant.
Understanding the Limits of Stem Cell Transplants for HIV
Stem cell transplantation remains an arduous, costly, and risky procedure appropriate only for people with life-threatening cancer, rendering it not scalable for most people living with HIV. Professor Joseph Eron of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill emphasized that researchers must figure out how to produce similar results by making cells safe from reinfection through modifying receptors, avoiding aggressive radiation and chemotherapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the CCR5-delta32 mutation?
A: It is a genetic mutation that disables the CCR5 receptor on immune cells, preventing most strains of HIV from entering the cells.
Q: Can anyone with HIV get a stem cell transplant for a cure?
A: No. Stem cell transplants are too risky for people without advanced cancer.
Q: How many people have been cured of HIV via this method?
A: With these two latest presentations at AIDS 2026, if they remain in remission, they will be the 12th and 13th cases of a cure after the procedure.
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