defeatHIV

[buginme2]

So about a year ago the NIH gave out something like $77million to a couple of organizations to focuses on HIV cure research.  One of those organizations has now started their website.
The website is pretty informative.

This is the group focusing on the whole stem cell transplant thing. 

www.defeathiv.org

They are also having a conference this week and its going to be played online for all the cure nerds.  It's at

http://www.fhcrc.org/en/news/center-news/2013/06/view-fred-hutch-hiv-aids-scientific-meeting-june-18--live-online.html

[buginme2]

Here is an article /interview with Timothy Brown regarding the conference mentioned above that was in the paper today.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021212371_aidscurexml.html

[buginme2]

I think I might go to this community meeting tomorrow. If anyone else is in.Seattle and interested let me know we can represent.

http://www.fhcrc.org/en/events/timothy-brown-from-one-to-many.html

[buginme2]

Not sure if anyone is actually interested in this but if there is I went to the HIV cure research symposium the other day and it was quite interesting.  Since there has been so much talk about mysterious Kenya cures I figured some real research should get its own thread right?

First thing is it was packed!  There was a lot of interest and every seat (in a large university auditorium) was taken and people were standing in the aisles.  The audience was filled with researchers, educators, people with HIV, everyone.  It was really neat to see such interest.

First there were three presentations from the researchers working on an HIV cure from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute.   The Fred Hutch is the organization that developed the first stem cell transplant procedure back in the 1970's for which they won the Nobel prize for.  They wrote the book on stem cell transplants and were chosen by the National Institutes of Health to develop a stem cell treatment to cure HIV.

They talked about the science and the procedure of what they are trying to develop.  Basically they are recreating the the procedure Timothy Brown went through but instead of finding a donee they are going to modify your own stem cells to make them resistant.

Their procedure also requires the patient to have chemotherapy and full body radiation to completely wipe out the persons immune system so the new cells can regenerate it.

Clinical trials are enrolling now however for the first round they are limiting it to people who have hiv and a blood cancer such as lymphoma, or HIV positive people who do not have cancer but have a cd4 cell count of less than 100.  The procedure is dangerous and they are trying to 1. Find the exact procedure that leads to a cure and 2. Simplify the procedure so it is safe for everyone.  Until then they are limiting it to people who are very sick with cancer or have a low cd4 count.

Then Timothy Brown spoke.  It was great to listen to him speak.  He really has been through a lot.  He could have gone back into private life after getting cured but he went public and is now an advocate for HIV cure research.  He was very gently and soft spoken and very genuine.  If they are able to recreate a cure based on his science then they really should name the procedure after him. 

He is still a very sick man and that was hard to see but you can't help but wish him well. He was very very sweet.

[Jmarksto]

Bug; Thank you for the update, I was wondering if you went and how it was.  As a native Seattlite (although not there now) it is good to see so much good work going on there.

Thanks again,

JM

[xasxas]

Thanks.  That was informative and it's always good to hear about effort and progress being made to combat HIV.

[tednlou2]

Thanks for the info.  I would enjoy going to a meeting/symposium like that. 

[monarc]

Very interesting!