Doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center recently completed their first organ transplants using HIV-positive organs for recipients who also have HIV. This significant medical milestone, involving both a kidney and a liver transplant, was announced by the hospital on Monday.
This new approach is expected to dramatically cut down the wait time for patients needing a life-saving organ. Hospital officials highlighted the immediate benefits: one patient, who received the first HIV-positive donor kidney, had been waiting over two years for an organ. After being added to the specific HIV-positive organ list, an offer came in less than a week.
Both the kidney and liver recipients are reportedly doing well after their respective surgeries. These successful procedures mark the launch of Cedars-Sinai’s new HIV-to-HIV transplant program, which is currently the only one of its kind operating in the Los Angeles area.
Dr. Tsuyoshi Todo, the transplant surgeon who served as the lead surgeon for both transplants, emphasized the collaborative nature of the effort. He noted that the program required “a team of liver and kidney transplant surgeons, nephrologists, hepatologists, transplant pharmacists, infectious disease experts, transplant coordinators and more.”
This medical advance represents a significant departure from medical practice just over a decade ago. At that time, federal law explicitly prohibited organs from donors with HIV from being transplanted into any patient, even those who were also HIV-positive.
The landscape began to shift in 2013 with the passage of the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (HOPE Act). This legislation opened the door for clinical researchers to study the safety and effectiveness of HIV-to-HIV transplants. Following years of this dedicated research, which documented successful outcomes, the rule was officially amended in 2024. The amendment removed the stringent research requirements, allowing broader application of these transplants.
In response to the updated regulations, Cedars-Sinai moved quickly to establish its own program, forming a multidisciplinary committee of experts to implement the HIV-to-HIV transplant initiative. Looking ahead, Dr. Christopher Foltz, the lead infectious disease specialist for the program, outlined the post-transplant care plan. He stated that the first six months are critical for monitoring the immune system, but eventually, patients can return to annual or semi-annual monitoring, similar to their pre-transplant routine.