Quote:
Originally Posted by DDDlady
AOII Angel... If I understand correctly, the premise of this "cure" is that they wipe out the patient's bone marrow completely, transplant new stems cells into the patient that have an HIV resistant gene, and then the new CD4 cells are HIV resistant, correct?
It has been a little while since my last virology and immunology classes, but isn't HIV a rapidly evolving/mutating virus? I know in patients on the highly specialized drug cocktails, resistance is being seen due to medication non compliance.
Would the same not be possible for such a therapy as this?
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I imagine it's a race between the immune system and the virus.
And it's even possible that the chemotherapy had an impact on the virus's reproduction too that's not being accounted for here. Or the cancer competed with the virus for resources, or fought the virus in little sword fights in the flood stream. They don't even know for sure that the stem cells caused it, much less why it worked.
This man:
Andrew Stimpson is the one whose body apparently fought off the disease. Here's the story:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...icle589783.ece
He was positive, now he's negative.
/leaves the rest for Dr.Angel
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