http://www.aidsmap.com/page/1577949/

Quote :

"Doctors who carried out a stem cell transplant on an HIV-infected man with leukaemia in 2007 say they now believe the man to have been cured of HIV infection as a result of the treatment, which introduced stem cells which happened to be resistant to HIV infection. The man received bone marrow from a donor who had natural resistance to HIV infection; this was due to a genetic profile which led to the CCR5 co-receptor being absent from his cells. The most common variety of HIV uses CCR5 as its ‘docking station’, attaching to it in order to enter and infect CD4 cells, and people with this mutation are almost completely protected against infection. The case was first reported at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, and Berlin doctors subsequently published a detailed case history in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2009. They have now published a follow-up report in the journal Blood, arguing that based on the results of extensive tests, “It is reasonable to conclude that cure of HIV infection has been achieved in this patient.”"

12/15/2010 3:34:19 AM

But God is sad because babies had to die for this to happen. So we shouldn't support it.

12/15/2010 4:57:31 AM

^ Does it say anything about them being baby stem cells? All I saw was a reference to an umbilical cord.

12/15/2010 6:09:06 AM

the stem cell thing in this country has got to be one of the dumbest moves ever.

12/15/2010 7:13:35 AM

Quote :

"the stem cell thing in this country has got to be one of the dumbest moves ever."

the research or the lack thereof?

12/15/2010 7:53:48 AM

stem cells for the win. the doctor i worked with the last two summers is doing awesome things in regards to spinal cord injuries. granted it is in pigs and dogs for right now...but the results she's had have been promising.

12/15/2010 8:55:45 AM

Quote :

"granted it is in pigs and dogs for right now"

You gotta start somewhere.

12/15/2010 9:11:39 AM

Quote :

"the research or the lack thereof?"

lack thereof... the ban

12/15/2010 3:35:19 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6C6IKBezjA

12/15/2010 3:37:19 PM

while not a cure, anabolic steroids really make HIV managable


*steroids are the devil

[Edited on December 15, 2010 at 3:47 PM. Reason : http://www.aidsmap.com/resources/factsheets/Anabolic-steroids/page/1045089/]

12/15/2010 3:45:25 PM

Deep down inside, I'm imagining the cured man chewing on someone's leg...


... Maybe I've seen too many zombie movies/video games?

12/15/2010 4:10:24 PM

FYI, the stem cells they are referring to are not the "universal" type that come from fetuses. These are hematopoetic stem cells, or blood-cell progenitors, those found in bone marrow. The guy got a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant from someone that happened to have this anti-HIV genetic trait.

12/15/2010 4:48:01 PM

^yup.


we learned about it in my immunology class.
simply.....a certain percentage of the population (very small) is resistant to HIV.
its because the T cells they make cannot get infected (which is why HIV is so horrible-in infects T cells).
therefore by transitive property (im not sure if this is the right term but its the first that come to mid), if you replace bone marrow and get the marrow from these resistant people-you replace your T cells with resistant T cells, ultimately.





[Edited on December 15, 2010 at 11:52 PM. Reason : oops...T cells.]

12/15/2010 11:48:11 PM

this is pretty neat, but unfortunately you won't see HIV patients lining up around the block to get a HSCT. it definitely has implications for future therapies though.

12/15/2010 11:57:12 PM

How can I find out if I, too, have a natural resistance to the HIV virus?

12/16/2010 11:00:46 AM

^keep hooking up with ransoms and see what happens

12/16/2010 1:06:25 PM

While this sounds encouraging and I'm glad to hear this person is HIV free now, I'm not sure it's really curing anything. At least not in the technical sense.

If someone has a liver disease and they get a new liver through a transplant, it's not like the diseased liver suddenly works again. Giving someone an entirely new immune system =/= curing HIV imo.

12/16/2010 1:23:48 PM

Bone marrow transplant is one of the most painful procedures out there. For both the donater and the receiver.

12/16/2010 1:29:32 PM

^^ My definition of "curing HIV" would be no longer having symptoms of HIV...

12/16/2010 1:33:05 PM

Quote :

"How can I find out if I, too, have a natural resistance to the HIV virus?"

I LOL'ed

12/16/2010 1:34:17 PM

So people who are HIV+ but non-detectable are cured?

Not displaying symptoms =/= cured

12/16/2010 1:39:24 PM

Quote :

"If someone has a liver disease and they get a new liver through a transplant, it's not like the diseased liver suddenly works again. Giving someone an entirely new immune system =/= curing HIV imo."

1.) while your analogy isn't BAD, it isn't really GOOD, either...the mechanism by which each operates and interacts with the body is very different from the other

2.) did you read the whole article? while bone marrow transplants would still remain a viable option, this particular case provides information that can be used for gene therapy (as opposed to something akin to a transfusion)

[Edited on December 16, 2010 at 1:50 PM. Reason : i get your point, though, and - for the most part - agree with you]

12/16/2010 1:49:45 PM

Quote :

"Bone marrow transplant is one of the most painful procedures out there. For both the donater and the receiver."

Somewhat true, but much more so for the recipient than the donor. I've donated both possible ways (surgical aspiration and pbsc) and neither involves the sort of excruciating pain most people seem to believe.

12/16/2010 2:12:36 PM

DONATER

12/16/2010 2:13:30 PM

On a somewhat related note to HIV treatment, the FDA has approved a 60 second HIV test:

http://hivplusmag.com/NewsStory.asp?id=22098&sd=12/15/2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Quote :

"“We believe the speed, accuracy, and unique technology of our 60-second HIV test will make the testing and early treatment of HIV/AIDS more efficient in all patient settings, including hospital emergency rooms and public health clinics,” said bioLytical Laboratories president Philip Bligh in a press release. “Additionally, our high-volume, automated manufacturing capability makes INSTI one of the most cost-effective solutions available for providers of HIV rapid testing.”"

12/16/2010 2:22:56 PM

Not the best analogy

but you know what I mean...

12/16/2010 2:23:24 PM

the problem with HIV is that is mutates very quickly, the article notes it only works against the most common form of HIV, HIV can change forms in a infected individual.

and yes there are very long term non-progressors - once tested positive for HIV but have since never tested positive for it and are not taking treatment, they sometimes have 'relapses' though later on.

interesting article though.

12/20/2010 1:39:31 PM