Stem Cell-AIDS Study Shows Genetically Engineered Cells Can Kill HIV In Mice

Can stem cells cure AIDS? Not yet. But a provocative new study shows that human stem cells can be genetically engineered to attack living cells infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

"We believe that this study lays the groundwork for the potential use of this type of an approach in combating HIV infection in infected individuals, in hopes of eradicating the virus from the body," study author Dr. Scott G. Kitchen, assistant professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a written statement released by the university.

For the "proof-of-principle" study, Dr. Kitchen's team implanted genetically engineered human blood stem cells into "humanized" mice, rodents in which HIV infection and the resulting disease resemble what happens in HIV-infected humans.

When the researchers checked the mice's blood, plasma, and organs weeks later, they found an increase in levels of so-called CD4 "helper" T cells--infection-fighting cells that become depleted as a result of HIV infection. At the same time, levels of HIV fell.

The finding, published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, comes more than a year after The Huffington Post reported that an HIV-positive man known as the "Berlin patient" was apparently cured of his infection by a stem cell transplant.

Just how significant is the new finding?

In an email to The Huffington Post, renowned AIDS researcher Dr. Nathaniel R. Landau, professor of microbiology at New York University Langone Medical Center, called it "a remarkable demonstration of the power we are developing to alter how our bodies work. That is, that you can in the laboratory do something that will educate the cells of the immune system to recognize a specific pathogen."

Many obstacles must be overcome before the research might lead to a real-world cure for AIDS, Dr. Landau said, adding that "This is not something that will be ready for patients this year or next (maybe 4-5 years?)."

For now, the UCLA researchers plan to begin making genetically engineered T cells that target different parts of HIV, according to the statement.

As of 2010, World Health Organization statistics show that 34 million people around the world were living with HIV infection. AIDS claimed 1.8 million lives in 2010.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Dennis Wendt]

02:16 AM on 06/24/2012

Genetic Engineered? Stem Cells? HIV? I wonder how long before some brain dead bible thumper starts screaming "It's against god's will!!!"

[Catholiciam]

05:26 PM on 07/11/2012

Dennis, who knows what a "brain dead bible thumper" will say. What's more important is what the Catholic Church says. I'm not aware of the Church being opposed to genetic engineering to combat disease. Nor is the Catholic Church opposed to the use of Stem Cells (the exception of course being when human embryos are deliberately conceived for the purpose of being destroyed for Embryonic Stem Cells). And given the Catholic Church is the largest non Government provider of health care to HIV/AIDS patients, I imagine the Church would welcome the above medical developments.

The more important question you should ask is, how much further this research would had been developed had billions of taxpayers' money not been directed to the unethical Embryonic Stem Cell research which the Church rightly opposes?

[Dennis Wendt]

07:27 PM on 07/11/2012

Since when has this country become a THEOCRACY? While the Catholic Church can express it's opinion, this is still a SECULAR government and Catholics are free to refuse any life saving treatment that derives from stem cell research.
Scientific advances, particularly in medicine, shouldn't have to be "APPROVED" by the Catholic Church first. Stem cells aren't mentioned in the bible, where tens of thousands were put to death because they worshiped the wrong god.

[kinogod]

07:27 PM on 04/25/2012

The singularity moves closer and closer

[Patient Zero]

02:42 PM on 04/19/2012

This is great news, but what is a humanized mouse?

[LivingStrong2]

04:19 AM on 07/14/2012

The mice immune systems were genetically altered to mimic that of a human. Their dna is now structured like a human and can bet tested as such with the same results expected. Cool, huh!!??

[razzieman]

04:37 AM on 04/19/2012

Oh cool, but shouldn't these resources be better spent on more pressing ails? ie. cancer, heart disease, malaria, alzheimers? HIV seems far-more preventable through proper education and outreach than some of these diseases. Also, the current "drug cock-tale" utilizing a multifaceted attack on HIV infection is actually quite effective. I'd like to see a world free of cancer with people who use proper protection (IE clean needles, condoms) than a world where our loved ones die of cancer and people are free to be as promiscuous as they would like. Sure it may seem naive to think of the situation in such a binary fashion, but that's my take on the matter. Also, I work at an HIV clinic for those who might see my opinion as short-sighted.

[bernardsguys]

09:19 PM on 04/19/2012

We have learned so much about other diseases since HIV has come into play. It has fored science to learn so much more about the immune system and in doing so it does also help with finding new treatments and cures for so many illnesses. I am saddened to read
that you work at an HIV clinic.

[LivingStrong2]

04:14 AM on 07/14/2012

Regardless whether you worked an a HIV clinic or not, your comments are insensitive, judgemental and just plain insulting to those of us who have this disease. I've had four generations of women die in my family from cancer, and if they were alive today they would not condemn me for having a different disease than theirs. They would want the same effort put into research across the board regardless of lifestyle, religion or politics. I am a straight, non promiscuous, condom using, drug free person. Always have been. It's shocking that you ever worked for any charitable organization with your attitude of the separation of compassion. Your opinion IS shortsided, thoughtless and ignorant. How dare you judge me or anyone who suffers with a disease regardless of how they contracted it. It's attitudes and opinions like yours that hold back all hopes for any cures. You need to get your 'disease discriminating' head out of your ass and go back to that clinic to learn more. You owe us all an appology. Everyone with ANY disease.

[FreedToChoose]

11:54 PM on 04/18/2012

Absolutely great advances keep coming. WOW!

[ProgressivePicon86]

09:17 PM on 04/18/2012

Awesome progress in the path to finding a cure. =] However, I can hear the religious constituencies within America and abroad go nuts about using stem cells. Some like Pat Robertson would go so far to say that those with HIV deserve to die. Not very Christian-like is it? Religion needs to coexist with Science and realize that progress like this can save millions.

[Ben Hartford]

10:53 AM on 05/21/2012

Actually, as one of those constituents who disapproves of the use of embryonic stem cells, I was about to post.
These stem cell lines were developed from hematopoietic stem cells, -not- from embryonic cells.

[zvibenyosef2030]

06:52 PM on 04/18/2012

This is wonderful news, I just wish the time frame of 4-5 years could be accelerated. This dreadful disease has wreaked havoc for so many years and ruined so many lives, particularly in Africa where there are so many orphans having lost both parents to AIDS.

[Jamzhelm]

10:23 AM on 04/18/2012

Why do people feel the need to politicize things such as this? Look, AIDS is a disease. People who have AIDS are just people who are sick. If this was a flu cure, I doubt anyone would try to make it about politics...

The simple fact is this is possibly a way to eradicate a disease that has taken lives... Regardless of how you "feel" about AIDS, or the people who have it (no matter how they contracted it), this could SAVE LIVES!

Why be so petty?

[Apples over Oranges]

06:24 PM on 04/20/2012

It is politicized on many levels. Not only the stem cell issue, but also remember that Aids is preventable if people wear a condom, so you have the religious fanatics politicizing it because of the birth control issue. You want to end politicization? End religion! More people would be alive throughout history if the Love Your Fellow Man'ners weren't.

[Catholiciam]

06:10 PM on 07/11/2012

HIV/AIDS is also preventable if people following the teachings of the Catholic Church about not having sex before marriage and remaining sexually faithful to one's spouse. I not sure why the Condom-manics have such a problem with that teaching. And of course if a person is unfortunate to be HIV positive they should stop having sex. No body has a right to put other people's lives at risk.

[mattgarodan]

09:14 PM on 04/17/2012

Fascinating.

[Claudia L]

06:15 PM on 04/17/2012

As long as they can bilk us for billions, there will only be a perpetual treatment - never a cure.

[obiwan49]

08:55 PM on 04/17/2012

I hope you are wrong. But i do think the days of ingesting chemicals to cure things are near an end. One way or another, you know the pharma co's don't like this.

[Cole 33]

04:19 PM on 04/17/2012

Recently read two great books, The Singularity is Near, and Abundance.

They make compelling arguments that we are headed for massive scientific and technological leaps in the next 20-30yrs, along the lines of this article, genetically engineered cells and nano tech will destroy disease, flu, colds, cancer, all gone, and not through vaccines or medicine, but technology.

Not only that, but leaps in genetically engineered food making food incredibly abundant, and the big leap will be fully electric mechanics with alternator replenishment, meaning cars will not only be fully electric but you'll have that tech in trucks and sports cars.

Both books display very optimistic looks at the near future of science

[shaaronie]

10:02 PM on 04/17/2012

Thanks, made my day!

[dhinds]

12:16 AM on 04/18/2012

As a biological organism evolving along with other biological organisms within a biological world, MY optimism remains loyal to the integrity of the individual. Your expectation of the ability of the cheap, profit driven gimmicks your refer to to reinvent the biological reality we evolved from is frankly silly and even dangerous. On fact, GE crops represent a tremendous hoax that provide no benefits while introducing proven multiple, unnecessary risks to the environment and public health.

[Cole 33]

10:55 AM on 04/18/2012

"As a biological organism evolving along with other biological organisms within a biological world, MY optimism remains loyal to the integrity of the individual."

I don't think that actually means anything.

You may want to check out both books before arbitrarily deciding any of the technologies presented in them are gimmicks, and in fact you'll find many aren't even profit driven, and illustrate many tech companies, like Ray Kurweils, "Reading Machine", which turns print into computer spoken words for Blind people, and he gave them away to any blind person who wanted one.

Science technologies and medical science have recently have been giving people who were born completely *deaf* the ability to hear. Check out this link, this woman was one of the first participants in this new technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsOo3jzkhYA

"GE crops represent a tremendous hoax that provide no..."

Well thats just plain ole b.s., first just about everything you eat has been Genetically modified in someway, and has been for some time, GE food is already making giant leaps in speed of growth without pesticides to do so, and current farming can supply food for only 4 billion people, and we have 7B.

GE food is how we are going to solve hunger, because when you're a starving parent with starving kids, you're going to be happy you're eating at all. We have the luxury of taking things for granted, like our access to food.

[El Duderino 791]

12:44 PM on 04/17/2012

Conservative squeamishness about sex will suffice to kill this research.

[Catholiciam]

06:14 PM on 07/11/2012

This research would have be further along had billions of taxpayer dollars not been wasted on dead end Embryonic Stem Cell research.

[outasite]

11:01 AM on 04/17/2012

O, how I wish these men and women, on the frontier of discovery and scientific innovation for the betterment of mankind, were paid the same as professional athletes.

[porphyrialuna49]

04:44 PM on 04/17/2012

I couldn't agree more. Quite frankly, I'd rather pay top dollar for front row seats to watch these geniuses at work with their microscopes & what not than to go watch a bunch of millionaires throw a ball around. But that's me.

[jailynn1098]

05:11 AM on 04/17/2012

There are so many people who say that "clean, moral living" is the real answer to the eradication of HIV/Aids! BUT what about the innocent babies born to mothers that are infected? They deserve a chance to live a happy healthy life! What about the women who contract it from thier husband or significant other, not knowing of thier secret sexual partners (and no, just because they ask dosent mean they will get a truthful answer) There are some people who contract it from thier work in labs, or organ transplants, and even blood transfusions still!! Oh yeah and so sadly rape! They all deserve help! You would feel different if (God forbid) it was you or a friend/family member...or would you??

[theXepicXturtle]

04:22 AM on 04/17/2012

The Christian Taliban and Big Pharma does not approve.

[Catholiciam]

06:26 PM on 07/11/2012

You're half right. Big Pharma would prefer billions of dollars of taxpayer funding for Embryonic Stem Cell research from which they can then patent any successes. However your belief in a Christian Taliban is as delusional as Stephen Hawkings' fantasy of humans colonizing other planets.