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Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
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xoB' link is not a discouraging story.
It's just the realities of medical research and stem cell transplants.
It's what patients with kinds of certain leukemia already face today,
and is accepted therapy by insurance providers.
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Stem cell transplant is the replacement of damaged bone marrow cells with healthy cells (stem cells).
Stem cells are immature cells produced in the bone marrow that make more
stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Stem cell transplant is used:
• To treat diseases that damage or destroy the bone marrow, such as lymphoma and leukemia.
• To rescue the bone marrow after it has been destroyed by high doses of radiation and chemotherapy.
Stem cells are usually taken from the person's body before the
radiation or chemotherapy treatmentand then reinfused (autologous transplant).
• Experimentally for gene therapy and the treatment of other diseases, such as diabetes and sickle cell disease.
The success of a stem cell transplant depends on the person's age
and general health condition and whether the donated cells match the body cells.
Serious complications that can occur after a stem cell transplant include
rejection of the new stem cells, destruction of other cells in the person's body
by the new stem cells, or severe, often life-threatening, infection.
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The difference for the HIV-resistant gene may be a matter of
propagating a different donor's stem cells in culture,
and such cultures could provide enough cells to treat multiple HIV patients.
Of course millions of HIV patients can not be treated this way,
but as a step towards actual "cures", it is still an encouraging report.