Abstract:
Chronic viral infections, particularly HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV), remain a critical global health challenge. Despite the availability of potent antiviral therapies, these infections persist due to stable viral reservoirs and inadequate immune control, leaving millions without a definitive cure. Major barriers to eradication include reservoir heterogeneity across anatomical compartments, sustained antigen burden driving immune exhaustion, and the scarcity of reliable biomarkers to guide therapeutic interventions. However, recent advances offer genuine hope. Landmark cases —including the Berlin patients— have demonstrated that durable cure is achievable. Building on these insights, the field is now advancing toward scalable solutions: novel immunotherapies, particularly therapeutic antibodies and rational combination strategies, are being designed to restore immune function, target latent reservoirs, and achieve sustained remission without lifelong treatment. This talk will explore how lessons from exceptional cases and clinical research are being translated into broadly applicable cure strategies for the millions living with chronic viral infections.

Bio:
Dr. Christian Gaebler is Professor of Infectious Diseases at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, where he leads the Laboratory for Translational Immunology of Viral Infections and co-leads the Personalized Infectious Medicine program at the Berlin Institute of Health. Previously, he served as Assistant Professor at The Rockefeller University in New York. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Gaebler bridges basic immunology of viral infections with clinical development of antibody immunotherapies for infectious diseases, with particular focus on HIV cure research. His groundbreaking work on the “second Berlin patient" demonstrated sustained HIV-1 remission following heterozygous CCR5Δ32 stem cell transplantation, published in Nature in December 2025. This landmark study established proof-of-concept that HIV cure is achievable without full homozygous CCR5 deletion, opening new pathways for scalable cure strategies. Dr. Gaebler's research has earned him significant international recognition, including the 2025 HIV/AIDS Research Award, the 2023 German AIDS Award, a 2021 Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award, and recognition as Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher from 2023 to 2025, reflecting the impact of his contributions to the field.