Antiretroviral therapy (ART) significantly reduces accelerated biological aging in individuals with HIV by nearly four years. A major Swiss study, presented at ESCMID Global 2026, introduced a plasma proteomic aging clock (PAC) that estimates biological age based on hundreds of blood protein patterns.
During untreated HIV infection, the PAC estimated biological age was accelerated by a median of 10 years. Following an average of 1.55 years of ART, researchers observed a significant mean reduction of 3.7 years in proteomic age. This suggests ongoing biological recovery with sustained treatment.
Lead author Barry Ryan from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne stated that the research underscores the importance of early ART initiation and optimal adherence. He noted that uncontrolled HIV infection is linked to faster aging, and ART substantially slows this process.
Importantly, the reversal of proteomic age acceleration was not strongly associated with CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell count recovery, indicating a broader inflammatory and immune system remodelling effect. The findings support the consensus for starting ART promptly after HIV diagnosis.