Tuesday, April 14, 2026-A patient known as the “Oslo patient” is being described as likely cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother, who carries a rare genetic mutation that provides natural resistance to the virus.
Doctors say the procedure replaced the patient’s immune system with donor cells that lack the CCR5 receptor, which HIV typically uses to enter and infect immune cells.
After the transplant, long-term testing showed no detectable levels of HIV in the patient’s body, even after stopping antiretroviral therapy under strict medical supervision.
Researchers say this outcome strongly suggests the virus has been eliminated or reduced to undetectable levels, placing the case among a small but growing number of functional cures achieved through specialized stem cell treatments.
While the results are highly encouraging, doctors caution that this approach is not a widely available cure. Stem cell transplants carry significant risks and are typically only performed for life-threatening blood cancers.
However, the case adds further evidence that gene-based resistance—similar to that seen in donors with the CCR5 mutation—could play a key role in future HIV treatments and potential cures.
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