By Katie Willingham
The US HIV Cure Research Academy took place April 22 – 24, 2026, in Durham, North Carolina. This year's academy welcomed more than 30 talented participants working in the HIV field and interested in building knowledge of HIV cure science and skills in translation. The selected fellows had a unique opportunity to interact with leading researchers and advocates over 2.5 days of intensive training, networking opportunities, and hands-on experience. Read on for perspectives on the meeting from one of the two members of The Well Project's community advisory board that attended as fellows.
On the final day of the US HIV Cure Research Academy, participants of the conference presented actual cure-related case studies. The participants were divided into three groups, and each group was given a case study to examine and then present to the rest of the participants. This was one of those studies.
A South African child, born with HIV in 2007, was 9 years old at the time his case was first presented in 2017 and had been controlling their HIV without treatment for over eight and a half years. The child was diagnosed with HIV shortly after birth at 32 days old and given a burst of treatment for a duration of 40 weeks, after which the treatment was paused to allow viral rebound to take place in order to test how long the child could go without treatment before symptoms reappeared. This was not standard practice at the time; this was conducted through a study called the CHER study (Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy) – don’t ask me where they got the R from, lol.
The CHER Study was conducted in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, and is a randomized controlled trial. Two separate groups were given either deferred antiretroviral therapy (ART) or early ART for either 40 or 96 weeks. The results of the study led to changes in international guidelines to encourage early ART for babies. Another key result was finding this child whose HIV has remained under control, who may never have been found otherwise.
There have also been the case of a Mississippi baby who was given ART within 30 hours of birth and went 27 months before symptoms reemerged; and a French baby who has now gone more than 11 years without meds. However, doctors say these are not what are known as "elite controllers," as they need medication for remission and elite controllers do not (elite controllers need no medication; their body naturally controls the virus without it). For more about controllers, please read another one of my posts: Learning from HIV Controllers: A Recap from the 2nd US HIV Cure Research Academy
We recently learned about a new patient that has been possibly cured in Canada. They join a very short list of people who so far have been considered cured of HIV. The "Toronto patient," a 64-year-old man who was diagnosed in 1999 and has been living with HIV and on treatment for 27 years, underwent a bone marrow transplant like others have done to try and achieve a cure. The procedure is risky, though, so it’s not a good option to cure the masses. That’s part of what makes these babies so exciting: If we could learn more about their immune systems, that knowledge could possibly lead to making better medications or even a cure.
More from The Well Project on the 2nd US HIV Cure Research Academy
- Considerations of Sex and Gender: A Recap from the 2nd US HIV Cure Research Academy by Katie Willingham
- The Cure Research Academy by KatieAdsila on A Girl Like Me
- HIV Cure Academy - a poem by KatieAdsila on A Girl Like Me
- Learning Cure Science While Life Keeps Life-ing: A Recap from the 2nd US HIV Cure Research Academy by Robin Barkins
- Learning from HIV Controllers: A Recap from the 2nd US HIV Cure Research Academy by Katie Willingham
