A Recent Milestone in HIV Treatment: The 10th Patient

By: Jonathan Sosa, Guest Blog Contributor, ADAP Advocacy

Recently, a Norwegian man became the 10th person ever to be cured of HIV. It represents another step forward in understanding how long-term remission can be achieved for those living with HIV. The news also still offers hope for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) that a cure is possible, while also offering some good news for the HIV community–which has been battered by a presidential administration gutting long-established and proven safety-net programs that have served as the backbone of the nation’s care continuum for them.

Photo Source: Live Science | Dr_Microbe via Getty Images

The 63-year-old Norwegian patient received a stem cell transplant from his brother, who carries a rare genetic mutation known as CCR5-delta 32. This mutation prevents HIV from entering immune cells, effectively blocking the virus from spreading within the body. 

Following the transplant, the patient discontinued antiretroviral therapy (ART) and has shown no detectable viral load (Glassman-Hughes, 2026; Gometz, 2026). While cases like this are rare, they prove that eliminating HIV from the body is possible nonetheless. 

Limits of this treatment approach 

Despite the significance of this case, there are limitations that prevent it from being a universal solution for curing HIV/AIDS. 

First, stem cell transplants are complex, high-risk procedures usually done on patients who have cancer. In other words, these are not common procedures (or even the safest options) for most PLWHA. 

Second, the 10th man cured from HIV/AIDS has a brother with a natural mutation that creates a natural resistance to it. However, there are not many donors that may have this CCR5 mutation, which limits the ability to scale this approach to others living with HIV/AIDS. Due to limitations like these, researchers are not viewing this case as a universal solution but as insight into how the disease can be cured in more people moving forward. 

Photo Source: WowRx

Why HIV/AIDS funding matters 

The HIV community has expressed concern with feeling under attack, since policies regarding funding are being called into question, and in some cases gutted or eliminated as proposed in the Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget blueprint. This uncertainty makes continued scientific progress even more important. It shows why HIV funding matters. 

Despite pressures on HIV advocacy and proposed funding cuts, there is still promising news, like the cure for the 'Oslo patient'. Each new case is evidence that a cure to HIV is possible. Prior to this case, several other HIV patients who underwent comparable transplants had achieved long-term remission from the infection (Lanese, 2026).

Continued progress in HIV treatment is driven by ongoing research efforts to find a cure. According to the National Institutes of Health, current strategies include gene-editing techniques designed to replicate the CCR5 mutation, immune-based therapies targeting hidden viral reservoirs, and approaches aimed at activating and eliminating latent viral reservoirs within the body (National Institutes of Health, 2026). 

These research efforts reinforce why continued investment in HIV research remains essential for providing accessible care. Although challenges remain, progress is being made, and cases like these prove why research and investment into HIV care should be supported.

Disclaimer: All of the funders of the ADAP Advocacy Association are publicly available online at https://www.adapadvocacy.org/support.html. 

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association; rather, they provide a neutral platform for the author to promote open, honest discussion of public health-related issues and updates.

References:

[1] Lanese, Nicoletta. (2026, April 13). Oslo patient likely cured of HIV after getting stem cell transplant from his brother who is genetically resistant to the virus. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/health/hiv/oslo-patient-likely-cured-of-hiv-after-getting-stem-cell-transplant-from-his-brother-who-is-genetically-resistant-to-the-virus

[2] National Institutes of Health. (2025, April 15). Research toward an HIV cure: Research priorities overview. NIH Office of AIDS Research. https://www.oar.nih.gov/hiv-policy-and-research/research-priorities-overview/research-toward-hiv-cure

[3] Glassman-Hughes, Emma. (2026, April 14). Norwegian man is 10th person cured of HIV thanks to his brother. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/health/norwegian-man-is-10th-person-cured-of-hiv-thanks-to-his-brother/

[4] Gometz, Emma (2026, April 13). Person functionally cured of HIV after bone marrow transplant from sibling. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/person-functionally-cured-of-hiv-after-bone-marrow-transplant-from-sibling/

HIV Cure Breakthrough or Yet Another Fading Hope?

By: Ranier Simons, ADAP Blog Guest Contributor

After decades of research and scientific breakthroughs, there is still no cure for HIV. Medical science has achieved significant advancements in testing, treatment, and prevention. HIV has only been eliminated from the body six times in people who required their own immune system to be completely eradicated and replaced through allogenic stem cell transplantation due to cancer (Cairns, 2023). This type of procedure is not viable for widespread use, given its health risks and likelihood of failure. HIV’s elusive ability to mutate and hide inside immune cells is what makes it formidable. However, a recent breakthrough gives hope that the virus’s ability to hide from the body’s immune system will soon be disrupted.

Photo Source: Drug Discovery World

Modern antiretroviral treatment (ART) is successful at achieving viral suppression to undetectable levels because it interferes with HIV’s ability to replicate. However, if ART is discontinued or inconsistent, HIV can resume replication, which is why lifelong ART is necessary. Even in people with undetectable status, some of the HIV virus is able to ‘hide in plain sight’ by infecting memory T-cells, integrating its proviral DNA, and lying dormant. The function of memory T-cells is to remember previous biological infections to enable the body to swiftly react (Cairns, 2023). By hiding inside immune cells, the HIV virus lies dormant and, in essence, is unable to be seen by the immune system, thus creating what medical science describes as an HIV reservoir, available for reactivation.

Recent research conducted in Australia indicates a means to identify where the HIV reservoir hides (Lay, 2025). Scientists were able to successfully deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) into the memory T-cells to instruct the cells to show where HIV is hiding. They achieved this by using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to transfect the resting T-cells with the desired mRNA. Previous attempts at using LNPs failed because it is difficult to coax the memory T-cells into uptaking the genetic material. Previous LNPs would not integrate. A new type of LNP enabled the cells to accept the entrance of the mRNA material, instructing the cell to express latent HIV (Cevaal et al., 2025). This new type of HIV-specific LNP essentially makes the T-cells wake the dormant HIV from its resting state. The LNPs were able to manipulate the T-cells without killing them. The hope is that when the body can identify the hidden HIV reservoir, it can attack and eradicate the virus (Cevaal et al., 2025). 

Although in its early stages, the breakthrough is promising, as it reveals a tool to shine a light on the HIV reservoir. Many questions remain regarding the future of this line of  HIV-related LNP research. It is not clear whether it is sufficient to wake dormant, hiding HIV to ‘show’ the body where it is to allow immune defenses to go after it, or if additional cellular activity will be required. Most importantly, scientists are uncertain about the level of ‘revelation’ required. Meaning, is it necessary to destroy the entirety of the HIV reservoir to render a person functionally HIV suppressed, or just a percentage? If only a percentage is required, then how much (Cevaal et al., 2025)?

Photo Source: Drug Discovery World 

This research is also promising because it has the potential to benefit the treatment of other diseases. The development of this study’s HIV-specific LNP could lead to the development of treatments for other T cell-implicated diseases or the generation of T cell-based immunotherapies (Cevaal et al., 2025). This study is another example of how HIV research has led to scientific benefits for many other diseases, including cancer.

Eradicating HIV requires solutions that are replicable, scalable, and permanent. These types of studies are promising since they are gene-therapy related. Research into ways of editing the body's instructions to make it immune to HIV infection or generate cellular environments inhospitable to HIV could potentially be less expensive and less taxing on the body than lifetime ART. The cells used for the study were donated by HIV patients. Many years of animal testing and human trials will be necessary before this research can be applied to help people. However, it is a promising start and could also help to develop tools to identify HIV in other parts of the body besides immune cells, where the virus may be hiding.

[1] Cairns, G. (2023, December). Why is HIV hard to cure? Retrieved from https://www.aidsmap.com/about-hiv/why-hiv-hard-cure

[2] Lay, K. (2025, June 5). Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers overwhelmed. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/05/breakthrough-in-search-for-hiv-cure-leaves-researchers-overwhelmed

[3] Cevaal, P.M. et al. (2025) ‘Efficient mrna delivery to resting T cells to reverse HIV latency’, Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60001-2#citeas. Nature Communications, 16(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-025-60001-2

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.   

Is a One-Shot HIV Therapy on the Horizon?

By: Ranier Simons, ADAP Blog Guest Contributor

The advent of new medicines has been fighting the scourge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic since the world became aware of it in 1981. Since, science has made many advances. Research birthed tests to detect the virus in the blood. Antiviral medications have evolved from AZT, and its serious adverse side effects, to the multi-drug daily one-pill regimens on the market today...and now injectable therapies. Despite all of the advances, there is still no cure. Medical science has made great strides in slowing down the virus and preventing infections in seronegative people. The disease has gone from being lethal to chronic. However, clearing it from the bodies of those currently infected is the goal scientists focus heavily on.

Medical science has turned to exploring genetic interventions when exploring ways to eradicate HIV from the body. Scientists have uncovered the various HIV genes and the viral proteins they produce.[1] This has facilitated the creation of drugs to block some of the virus’ activity inside the body. Now, science is focusing on how to genetically alter the human body to better fight against the virus. 

One such exploratory avenue is the genetic modification of the human immune system. Many people are familiar with the way HIV targets and damages the T-Cells, specifically the CD4 T-Cells. However, other parts of the human immune system are not as well known by the lay public, such as the B-Cells and the complement system. A new study out of Tel-Aviv involves the genetic modification of B-Cells using CRISPR and viral vectors. The future goal is a one-shot treatment for patients with HIV.[2]

Photo Source: Commonwealth Fund

The study examined engineering a person’s own B white blood cells to secrete high levels of anti-HIV antibodies in response to the virus.[2] Scientists have achieved some success in genetically engineering B-cells outside of the body. A few scientists have been able to use B-Cells engineered outside of the body to transplant into disease models with some success. However, the challenge is that using the approach for humans is very complicated. It requires very specialized medical centers, extensive blood compatibility testing of donor cells and recipients, and demanding protocols.[2] 

The promise of the new study out of Tel Aviv is that B-Cells inside one’s own body could be genetically modified. This simplifies the process and guarantees the compatibility of the genetically modified cells. The study was led by Adi Barzel, Ph.D. senior lecturer, and Alessio Nehmad, a Ph.D. student from the school of neurobiology, biochemistry, and biophysics at the George S. Wise faculty of life sciences and the Dotan Center for Advanced Therapies in collaboration with the Sourasky Medical Center.[2]

The process uses viruses in combination with CRISPR technology. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.[3] CRISPR technology was developed from how bacteria arm their immune system. The CRISPR technology can specifically identify specific stretches of a genome and cut it open. The Tel-Aviv study involves cutting open the DNA of B-cells and inserting genetic code that makes the cell generate neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies. 

Photo Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Two viral carriers are used to ‘infect’ the B-cells.[4] This is not a harmful infection. The viruses infect the B-Cells then the CRISPR technology cuts into the B-Cell genome and the proper loci (or genetic location). At that point, the genetic “snippet” that codes for the anti-HIV neutralizing antibody is inserted into the genome and closed. Going forward, the cells begin to secrete the new anti-HIV antibodies. Encountering HIV in the blood stimulates the B-Cells replicated and secrete even more neutralizing antibodies. The most crucial note is that when the HIV virus changes or mutates, the newly engineered B-Cells will also change accordingly to fight the new viral variant.

This study is essential as it could lead to a vaccine or one-time treatment. Additionally, the same technology could be developed to treat other infectious diseases or certain cancers caused by viruses, such as cervical cancer.

[1] Li, G., Piampongsant, S., Faria, N.R. et al. An integrated map of HIV genome-wide variation from a population perspective. Retrovirology 12, 18 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12977-015-0148-6
[2] FCould a One-Shot Treatment for Patients with HIV Be on the Horizon? (2022, June 14). Retrieved from https://www.genengnews.com/virology/hiv/could-a-one-shot-treatment-for-patients-with-hiv-be-on-the-horizon/
[3] Broad Institute. (2022). What is “CRISPR”? Retrieved from https://www.broadinstitute.org/what-broad/areas-focus/project-spotlight/questions-and-answers-about-crispr
[4] Tel-Aviv University. (2022, June 13). A new technology offers treatment for HIV infection through a single injection. Retrieved from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-technology-treatment-hiv-infection.html

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.   

Did Enochian Bioscience Inch One Step Closer to Ending HIV/AIDS?

By: Jonathan J. Pena, MSW, Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate (LCSWA)

In the fall of 2003, I was sitting in my doctor’s office anxiously waiting for the results of my recent lab blood test. My body was partially frozen by the all of the “what-ifs” that were running through my mind, but also by the look my friend gave me a week prior as he said, “you don’t look right, you need to see a doctor.” A random glance bestowed upon me a level of fear that I had never before experienced in my life. The doctor walks in and without hesitation says that my HIV is out of control and I have full blown AIDS. He scribbled something on a pad, ripped the paper off and said, “here, start taking this and I’ll see you in three months.” What he gave me was a prescription for Atripla. 

For some people living with HIV/AIDS, the idea of taking antiretroviral therapy for the first time can be an overwhelming thought process. While antiretroviral medication has made significant improvements since the days of AZT in the late 1980s, its inception had left a dark cloud of mistrust, fear of horrible side effects, and even death, when the time came for me to trust modern medicine to save my life. We know today, that antiretroviral medications are largely effective in fighting the virus so that people living with HIV/AIDS can achieve viral suppression and become undetectable.  

The battle to end HIV/AIDS continues. Enochian BioSciences Inc, a company that concentrates in gene-modified cellular and immune therapies in infectious diseases and cancer, announced earlier this year on June 14th, that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration had accepted a “pre-investigational new drug request for a potential treatment for HIV.”[1] 

Photo Source: Enochian BioSciences

This request was positioned by the findings of a 54-year-old man living with HIV who obtained viral control of the virus for 255 days with Natural Killer and Gamma Delta T-cells treatment.[2] This is a remarkable discovery as the man was previously unable to achieve suppression through antiretroviral medication. In this single case study, the Gamma Delta T-cells are a targeted interest in this treatment as it may be a crucial factor in viral control. Of course, this case study needs to be expanded to include how those living with HIV/AIDS who are virally suppressed by taking antiretroviral medication react to this new potential treatment 

This news certainly ushers in a wave of excitement because the battle to end HIV/AIDS is a longstanding fight. However, it does come with concerns. 

Stated Jen Laws, President of Policy Candy LLC, and ADAP Advocacy Association board member: “On the policy front, I worry about costs, continuity of care, and program design. Part of what's happened since the advent of single pill regimens and expanded medical competency making HIV a manageable chronic illness is, in general, our life expectancy has grown to be equivalent or longer than the general population. Regular doctor visits to maintain our prescriptions has meant we're more on top of our health than some other populations. It's a side benefit, if you will, that I think we might lose with a near once-yearly therapy.” 

I echo these concerns with a great deal of emphasis. The landscape of HIV care will undoubtably change, as mentioned by Jen Laws, so it is crucial to continue to bridge the gap between affordability and accessibility when looking at the spectrum of continuity of care. Program development needs to echo effective public policy that is deliberate in representing the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS, especially in low-income communities. Additionally, healthcare employees, like social workers, will need flex their superpowers in order to maintain the vigilance that communities need to have in regard to their medical needs. 

Photo Source: Vanguard

This new case study certainly is promising but the battle to End the Epidemic is not over, and that message needs to be remembered and conveyed continuously. “We've been chasing this goal for 40 years and the emotional ups and downs that comes with hopeful therapies can be challenging, individually and collectively. Part of what I think drives some policy makers to think 'HIV is over' is the fairly routine headlines of medical advancements - whether they pan out or not,” Laws additionally commented. 

As a person living with HIV/AIDS for the past 18 years, I have dreamed about an end to the epidemic ever since I starred at my prescription slip for Atripla all those years ago. I imagine that many, if not all, others living with HIV feel the same. The culmination of fear, struggle, achievements and hope battling HIV/AIDS, needs to be kept in focused. Complacency is not a state of being that we need to harbor, as it can begin to halt or undo the strides that have been accomplished over decades of vigorous work within HIV/AIDS care. We are not done, yet.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

[1] Enochian Bioscience (2021, June 14). Enochian BioSciences Announces FDA Acceptance of Pre-IND Request For Potential HIV Cure. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved online at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/enochian-biosciences-announces-fda-acceptance-110000386.html. 

[2] Cooper, Alex  (2021, June 16). Did Researchers Uncover a Functional HIV Cure? HIV Plus Magazine. Retrieved online at https://www.hivplusmag.com/treatment/2021/6/16/did-researchers-uncover-functional-hiv-cure?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=treatment.

The Quest for an HIV Cure Looms Large

By: Sarah Hooper, intern, ADAP Advocacy Association, and senior at East Carolina University

Earlier this year, it was revealed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it would pump $14.6 million into a HIV research program headed up by the University of Southern California (USC) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The aim of the research program is to eliminate the need for HIV patients to take daily medication, and to hopefully achieve an overall cure. 

Photo Source: RT News App

According to End Points News, the therapy would allow a patient’s own stem cells to fight the HIV infection and allow them to make new immune cells when the infection is fought. (End Point News)

“The approach was inspired by three patients who appear to have been cured of the virus — all of whom received blood stem cell transplants from donors who carried a mutation in the CCR5 gene. One of them, dubbed the “Berlin patient,” had been off antiretroviral drugs from 2007,” End Point News said.

In 2006, Timothy Ray Brown (also known as the Berlin patient) was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia. In 2007, Brown received two bone marrow transplants, and halted his HIV medications in the process (ScienceMag). Since the bone marrow transplant, researchers have only found traces of HIV, none of which is able to replicate in Brown’s system- effectively curing him of HIV.

NIH’s new research program is using similar technology in its search to find a cure for HIV. By using stem cells to fight the disease, the need for medication is much lesser, as one’s own body can fight HIV. However, the process Brown went through to fully cure himself of HIV is intense.

“The first is the process of conditioning, in which doctors destroyed Brown’s own immune system with chemotherapy and whole-body irradiation to prepare him for his bone marrow transplant. His oncologist, Gero Hütter, who was then with the Free University of Berlin, also took an extra step that he thought might not only cure the leukemia but also help rid Brown’s body of HIV. He found a bone marrow donor who had a rare mutation in a gene that cripples a key receptor on white blood cells the virus uses to establish an infection. The third possibility is his new immune system attacked remnants of his old one that held HIV-infected cells, a process known as graft versus host disease,” ScienceMag said. 

In September 2020, Brown passed away from his cancer, and the HIV community mourned his loss.

Photo Source: HIV Plus Magazine

The search for a cure to HIV has been ongoing since the virus was discovered. Treatment with antiretrovirals has been a massive step away from a death sentence and towards a normal life for HIV patients. The issue with the HIV virus is it can be hidden in cells while being suppressed by current HIV treatment. The only HIV patients who have been successfully cured of the virus were also undergoing intense treatments for a separate cancer diagnosis, according to ViiV Healthcare. 

These patients underwent a bone marrow transplant in which an HIV free bone marrow was placed in their body, which is a high-risk surgery as is. 

“While their treatments were extremely high risk and not amenable to wide scale implementation, these instances of cure bring hope of what is possible in our efforts to end the HIV epidemic,” ViiV Healthcare said. 

The NIH initiative to eliminate the need for daily medication is an incredible effort made available by years of previous research and effective treatment. If successful, this effort could change the lives of millions of HIV patients in the United States and around the world. 

References:

• A cure for HIV the end goal. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://viivhealthcare.com/en-gb/our-stories/innovation-hiv-science/towards-a-cure-exploring-cure-and-remission-in-hiv/
• DeFeudis, N. (2020, September 03). Researchers teamed up to develop a 'three in one' HIV treatment - and the NIH is throwing in $14.6M. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://endpts.com/researchers-teamed-up-to-develop-a-three-in-one-hiv-treatment-and-the-nih-is-throwing-in-14-6m/
• Jon Cohen Sep. 25, 2., Meredith Wadman Sep. 16, 2., Adrian Cho Sep. 15, 2., Ian Morse Sep. 14, 2., Eli Cahan Sep. 14, 2., Scott Waldman, E., . . . Rebekah Tuchscherer Aug. 26, 2. (2017, December 10). How did the 'Berlin patient' rid himself of HIV? Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/how-did-berlin-patient-rid-himself-hiv

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.