NEW YORK — NYU Langone Health performed the world's first lung transplant between two HIV-positive individuals on March 21, 2026. The surgery was conducted under a research protocol authorized by the 2013 HIV Organ Policy Equity Act.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sanctioned the research protocol that enabled the procedure. Prior to this, transplants under the HOPE Act had been performed for hearts and abdominal organs, but not for lungs. NYU Langone Transplant Institute is one of the few transplant centers in the United States approved to perform HOPE Act lung transplants under a research protocol.

Bertrand Nelson, 56, received a lung transplant and a liver transplant on the same day. He was diagnosed with HIV and sarcoidosis in 2000 and has been living with HIV for approximately 26 years. Nelson was hospitalized with severe pneumonia caused by Legionnaires' disease in 2021.

The 2021 illness reactivated Nelson's sarcoidosis, which subsequently damaged his liver. His respiratory condition worsened in 2024, necessitating increased supplemental oxygen. Doctors referred Nelson to the NYU Langone Transplant Institute in 2024 for evaluation for dual lung and liver transplants. He was evaluated for the HOPE Act dual-organ transplant in 2025.

Stephanie H. Chang, MD, performed the lung transplantation surgery, and Karim J. Halazun, MD, performed the liver transplantation surgery. Following the procedure, Nelson is no longer using supplemental oxygen. Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV.

“This is a watershed moment for the HIV-positive community and represents real progress in creating equity in organ transplantation,” said Sapna Mehta, MD, clinical director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. Mehta also said, “While these transplants are still only allowable under certain research protocols, this marks an expansion of options for people in need of a lifesaving organ.” Mark A. Sonnick, MD, a transplant pulmonologist at the institute, said, “It takes a special kind of patient to be willing to do something that hasn’t been done before.”

“I want to be well for her,” Nelson said. “I want her to see me thriving.” Nelson added, “There are so many others who need access to this level of care, and the more organs that become available, the better the odds of finding the right match and living a long life.”

No independent assessment of NYU Langone Health’s claims was available.