HIV cured by Stem Cells?

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LittleSin

LittleSin

I don't often post new articles but this one seemed huge to me.

Here we go.

Sorry for the Huffington post source but I'm not sure where to look for more info

What say you, Halforums? Is this as big as I think it is?
 
M

makare

Anything that involves "cures HIV" is big to me. That would be so awesome. I know we throw the word awesome around a lot but THAT would be truly awesome.
 
SpecialKO

SpecialKO

Are they talking about that Berlin case a few years ago when they irradiated a guy's bone marrow and replaced it completely with bone marrow from a matching donor who also happened to have a 1-in-a-1000 genetic resistance to HIV?

If it's the same thing, it's really not a "cure" so much as 1-in-a-million lifesaver that could have just as easily killed the patient. Encouraging results to be sure, but we're still a looong way from a cure, unfortunately.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
AshburnerX said:
If this actually works, the anti-stem cell crowd is going to go insane, especially the religious inclined.
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I couldn't find in the article, is this embryonic stem cells, or stem cells created by some other means (from fat cells, testes or elsewhere)? Although I'm sure there are some who object to stem cells in general, most of those who oppose stem cells on religious grounds object to embryonic stem cells specifically.
 
C

Chibibar

figmentPez;460607][QUOTE=AshburnerX said:
If this actually works, the anti-stem cell crowd is going to go insane, especially the religious inclined.
Click to expand...
I couldn't find in the article, is this embryonic stem cells, or stem cells created by some other means (from fat cells, testes or elsewhere)? Although I'm sure there are some who object to stem cells in general, most of those who oppose stem cells on religious grounds object to embryonic stem cells specifically.[/QUOTE]

I am not sure, but I read that the religious group are very against the embryonic stem cells. I am not sure on the embryonic fluid (umbilical cord) But, I'm sure a lot of people except the "devoted" people will go after the cure. There are people who are willing to just pray and hope for a cure by greater power.
 
drifter

drifter

mr_thehun;460812][QUOTE=figmentPez;460607][QUOTE=AshburnerX said:
If this actually works, the anti-stem cell crowd is going to go insane, especially the religious inclined.
Click to expand...
I couldn't find in the article, is this embryonic stem cells, or stem cells created by some other means (from fat cells, testes or elsewhere)? Although I'm sure there are some who object to stem cells in general, most of those who oppose stem cells on religious grounds object to embryonic stem cells specifically.[/QUOTE]

The article in question is wrong. It was a bone marrow transplant from a donor who has a vary rare type of gene that is good at fighting hiv.[/QUOTE]

Bone marrow transplants also serve as stem cell transplants .
So no, not embryonic stem cells.
 
LittleSin

LittleSin

sixpackshaker said:
So, what's the point of curing HIV to only live the rest of your days with immune suppressive drugs in your system.
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I'm not sure I follow you on this. I'd rather be alive, able to have sex/children and take the drugs then, you know, slowly dying and unable to have sex with one I love and produce children.

Hell, even if I didn't want sex/children I'd still just want to keep living.
 
strawman

strawman

sixpackshaker said:
So, what's the point of curing HIV to only live the rest of your days with immune suppressive drugs in your system.
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I understand that the latest immunosuppressive drugs act more selectively than AIDS, and thus you have a better immune system on them than you do with full-blown AIDS.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

LittleSin;460986][QUOTE=sixpackshaker said:
So, what's the point of curing HIV to only live the rest of your days with immune suppressive drugs in your system.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I follow you on this. I'd rather be alive, able to have sex/children and take the drugs then, you know, slowly dying and unable to have sex with one I love and produce children.

Hell, even if I didn't want sex/children I'd still just want to keep living.[/QUOTE]

There are perfectly healthy people that have HIV going on 20 years now, in fact Magic Johnson is closing in on the 20th anniversary of his retirement.

There have been people that have done every thing on your list, the having babies is of course the hardest part of it.
 
Baerdog

Baerdog

I'm still trying to figure out where in your mind you seem to think it's preferable for somebody to have HIV than to be on immunosuppressive drugs.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

Baerdog said:
I'm still trying to figure out where in your mind you seem to think it's preferable for somebody to have HIV than to be on immunosuppressive drugs.
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I did not say it was preferable, it is just the disease caused by HIV suppresses your immune system. So you cure your virus by giving yourself the disease you want to stop, through drugs.
 
M

makare

Are you seriously saying it is better, or even just the same, to have a contagious disease than to NOT have a contagious disease?
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

makare said:
Are you seriously saying it is better, or even just the same, to have a contagious disease than to NOT have a contagious disease?
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It is just if some one is aware that they have HIV and is taking the meds, and living responsibly, there is little threat of dying from AIDS or passing the disease along.

Compared to having a compromised immune system and dying the first time you catch the flu... or what ever.
 
Baerdog

Baerdog

Not only are you downplaying the severity of HIV, but you are belittling the benefits of life-saving organ transplants. As a person with family members who have undergone organ transplants (and lived quite well after, thank you), I am insulted. What the fuck is wrong with you?
 
strawman

strawman

sixpackshaker;461105][QUOTE=Baerdog said:
I'm still trying to figure out where in your mind you seem to think it's preferable for somebody to have HIV than to be on immunosuppressive drugs.
Click to expand...
I did not say it was preferable, it is just the disease caused by HIV suppresses your immune system. So you cure your virus by giving yourself the disease you want to stop, through drugs.[/QUOTE]

The prognosis for aids is ~10 years without treatement, and 20 years with treatment.

The prognosis for most transplant types are around 15-20 years depending on a variety of factors (transplants due to cancer are lower, and transplants that involve major organs, such as the heart, have lower life expectancy due to the fact that if it fails yo die within minutes, whereas bone marrow transplant failure would not kill you immediately).

However, while immune system suppression is one common feature of both types of treatment (aids and drugs vs transplant and drugs) there are many other features of aids that are not shared by the transplant option.

So yes, it's interestingly ironic that the cure has some similarities to the disease, but one must take into account all the factors of both the disease and the cure. Focusing on one aspect is short sighted.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

Do you read anything that you attack? You should be insulted. (of course the is not aimed at FLP)



I am playing to the irony. It is just a tidbit I read one of the articles that got me rolling down that path.
 
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