Adult Stem Cells to Fight HIV
HIV cell
Scientists at City of Hope in Duarte, California have shown that it may be possible to genetically engineer a patient's own adult stem cells to fight HIV. Four patients with AIDS received their own adult stem cells to treat lymphoma, including some of their cells that had been engineered with three genes to fight off HIV infection. One of the gene therapy targets was a protein receptor on immune cells (CCR5) that HIV binds to when infecting a cell, the idea being to prevent infection of the engineered stem cells. The other two engineered genes were designed to attack viral RNA that might make it into the cell, preventing production of viral protein.
While the dose of engineered stem cells was too low to produce an effect on the patients' viral load, the study showed no adverse effects from the procedure and that the cells survived, engrafted, and continued producing the engineered genes for up to two years after the transplant for three of the four patients.
A previous study had treated leukemia in an AIDS patient using donor adult stem cell transplant, in which the donor was selected specifically for lack of the CCR5 receptor on the donor stem cells. The patient recovered from the leukemia and also exhibited no sign of HIV.
The current study was published in Science Translational Medicine.
Promise for Lungs with Adult Stem Cells
Lungs can become inflammed and scarred.
Australian researchers have published a breakthrough that shows promise of adult stem cell treatments for lung diseases. The team isolated human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) from term placenta that have stem cell and anti-inflammatory properties. The cells were able to differentiate into lung-type cells, and when injected into mice with lung damage, the cells reduced inflammation and scarring in the lungs.
The study's lead researcher, Associate Professor Yuben Moodley, said:
"I would think that it may be pretty useful in patients who are on ventilators and have then developed inflammation from the ventilation and subsequent scarring, so in acute respiratory distress syndrome, as we call, it would be useful.
"It may be useful in patients with emphysema, patients with occupational lung diseases like asbestosis and probably in patients with severe asthma where there's a strong inflammatory component and scarring that may be treated."
Professor Moodley also noted that:
"Given that there are no ethical issues, that the cells are freely available from discarded placenta and that they could be easily grown and injected, it would be a near-term issue rather than a long-term issue."
The study is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Contact: David Prentice
Source: FRC Blog
Publish Date: June 17, 2010
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