Yes, sort of. The HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act allowing scientists to research organ donation in people with HIV was signed into law in 2013. However, it would be another 2 years before research guidelines were approved permitting transplanting organs from HIV-positive donors into HIV-positive recipients.

In 2016, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore was the first center in the U.S. to perform an HIV-positive to HIV-positive organ transplant using deceased donors. Johns Hopkins performed both a liver and a kidney transplant.  In 2018, Johns Hopkins was approved to perform transplantation using a kidney from a living HIV-positive donor into an HIV-positive recipient.

Click here for a list of centers that are performing kidney and or liver transplants using HIV-positive organs for HIV-positive recipients. To learn more about organ donation, visit the National Donate Life Month web site.