Norwegian Man Cured of HIV After Stem Cell Transplant

A 63-year-old man from Norway, referred to as the Oslo patient, has been cured of HIV following a stem cell transplant from his brother. This announcement was made by doctors on Monday.

The patient, diagnosed with HIV in 2006 and later with myelodysplastic syndrome in 2017, underwent the transplant in 2020. His brother, who was the donor, carried a rare genetic mutation (CCR5) that blocks HIV from entering cells.

This mutation is present in about 1% of people in Northern Europe. After the transplant, the patient stopped taking antiretroviral drugs and research found no trace of the virus in his blood, gut, or bone marrow.

The lead author of the study, Ander Eivind Myhr from Oslo University Hospital, expressed that the patient had "won the lottery twice." This case is significant as the Oslo patient is the first to receive a transplant from a family member and demonstrates a potential pathway for curing HIV, with hopes for further research outcomes by 2024.