Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 15 Nov 1995
Adam Entous / Reuter

Jeff Getty, 38, slept well following Thursday's transplant at San Francisco General Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Alice Trinkl said. The hospital is affiliated with the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF).

"Jeff Getty is in good condition this morning," Trinkl said early Friday. "He says he's feeling great. He slept very well and was very comfortable. He's now awake and enjoying a cup of French roast coffee."

The infusion, which took about 30 minutes, was carried out by researchers at UCSF and the University of Pittsburgh. Similar to a blood transfusion, no surgery was needed.

UCSF assistant professor Steven Deeks, the main doctor caring for Getty, said Friday the procedure went as planned and that Getty "continues to do very well," but warned that it is too early to assess Getty's chances.

"The procedure last night was actually relatively anti-climactic. The transplant went as good as it could have," Deeks told Reuters. "But now the risky part begins."

Getty underwent chemotherapy and radiation in preparation for the procedure. The exposures were designed to create "space" in his bone marrow for the baboon cells, said UCSF professor Paul Volberding, who is also caring for Getty.

"We killed some of his own bone marrow so that the new cells can find a place to grow," Volberding said.

The procedure was expected to reduce Getty's white blood cell count, thereby weakening his defenses against infection.

"Over the next two to three weeks, we expect his immune system to get weaker and not stronger," Deeks said, warning that the risk of infection would increase.

The experimental procedure was attempted because baboons have been found to be resistant to HIV-1, the primary virus causing acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

It was the first time a bone marrow cell infusion from one species to another, known as a xenotransplant, was attempted using the specific scientific approach that has been approved for this study, researchers said.

If the baboon cells join with the patient's bone marrow cells, as the researchers hope, they believe the patient's augmented bone marrow will then produce human immunodeficiency virus-resistant T-cells in the blood. Theoretically, this would increase his ability to ward off opportunistic infections that can be fatal to AIDS patients, they say.

"The cells, once they're established in Jeff's bone marrow, need to grow and develop into functioning immune cells," Deeks said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the experiment in August. The risky procedure, however, has drawn fire from some experts, who fear the infusion could inadvertently spread unknown baboon diseases to humans.

Some animal protection groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, also opposed the procedure. A male baboon was killed for his bone marrow.

But researchers said lessons learned from Getty would have enormous implications for the field of animal-to-human transplants, which has experienced a resurgence of interest in recent years.

If all goes well for Getty, Deeks said researchers may try the infusion in a year's time on other patients. "Once we are all comfortable that the procedure was relatively safe, then we will consider the next round," Deeks said.

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