Question:

Ok, I am a 18 year old guy who is soon going to college to study Stem Cell Research. While I was reading I found out that when a person is infected with HIV he/she dosen't have AIDS until the CD4 Cells(t-cells) drop below 200/mm3. Stem cells can be programmed to produce any cell in the human body. What if a person with AIDS were to have new lab-grown CD4 cells put into them? Would that reverse AIDS? I'm really into finding a cure for this "uncureable" disese.

Answer provided by:

Donna Sweet, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita

I am no expert on Stem Cell Research but do understand its potential uses. There is some research on cloned autologous (from the patient) CD4 cells. In the December issues of Infectious Disease News (Infectiousdiseasenews.com) there is an article entitled, Gene Therapy Vector Shows Promise in Fight Against HIV, by Tara Grassia that discusses the results of a recent phase-1 study for gene transfer. It was stated that at the Abramson Cancer Center's Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production facility, researchers activate CD4 T helper cells and insert potentially therapeutic genes to re-educate a patient's own immune system to better fight disease. During the Phase 1 Trial it showed that "one of the patients showed a sustained decrease in viral load, and T-cell counts remained steady or increased in four patients during the nine-month clinical trial. Additionally, in four patients, immune function specific to HIV improved". While there is some ongoing research, it is very early and it is very important that we continue having young scientists who wish to work towards a cure for this disease. I wish you well in your endeavor and look forward to hearing great things!

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