Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
San Francisco Examiner - November 2, 2005
Marisa Lagos
A presentation by three HIV/AIDS researchers during the monthly meeting of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine on Wednesday highlighted possible therapies and what part embryonic stem cell research could play in developing those treatments. Organized by CIRM board member Jeff Sheehy, a patient advocate who has HIV, the event centered more on research than patients.
That focus was purposeful, Sheehy said.
"There's this idea that HIV/AIDS is under control - it's not," he said, pointing out that half of all new infections are in woman and that 40 million people are currently living with the disease. "I think stem cell research represents one of research's holy grails for immune-based therapies that allow our own body to treat the infection."
Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, president of Caltech, and two University of California, Los Angeles, AIDS Institute researchers, Ronald Mitsuyasu and Jerome Zack, explained how stem cell research could help scientists develop less toxic, more effective HIV treatments than are currently on the market. Most of the current therapies simply prevent the body from creating more of the virus, but do not attack already sick cells.
"If we're going to beat HIV, we have to be smarter than nature," Baltimore said. "We have to think about extraordinary methods for dealing with the disease."
Part of the reason HIV/AIDS is so difficult to treat is that the virus resides in lymphoid tissues, which are found all over the body. To attack the virus, the speakers explained Wednesday, researchers believe they could place an anti-viral gene into bone marrow cells and inject them into a patient, a process referred to as gene therapy.
The gene would then spread throughout the body as the cells divide, killing the infected cells while keeping it from developing in new cells.
Currently, however, extracting bone marrow cells from a patient is costly, painful and has some side effects, which is where embryonic stem cells come in. Embryonic stem cells can become any type of cell in the human body, including bone marrow cells. So ultimately, the scientists said, gene therapy and embryonic stem cell research together may lead to cheaper, safer and more effective HIV/AIDS treatments.
051102
SE051101
Copyright © 2005 - San Francisco Examiner. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Examiner, Permissions Desk, 110 Fifth Street, P.O. Box 7260, San Franciso, CA 94120.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .