What is Digg?73 Comments
- sockpuppets, on 11/13/2008, -3/+55Digg- We Cure Aids Everyday.™
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -1/+26Leave it to the Germans to cure Aids.
- Mpwns, on 11/13/2008, -0/+16don't forget cancer, and weed does something new everyday as well.
- Fatcheeseguy, on 11/13/2008, -1/+16Wow and today I honestly signed up to be a bone marrow donor.
- minuslars, on 11/13/2008, -0/+13It turns out that ~1% of Caucasians have a genetic deletion that results in the lack of a CCR5 receptor on the CD4 T-Cell, which is the receptor that HIV binds to, causing infection. The lack of this receptor doesn't make someone immune, but substantially lowers their risk of infection. People with this genetic deletion are much, much less likely to be infected.
I wonder if this guy lucked out and received a bone marrow transplant from one of those people with the deletion? Scientists speculate that the mutation evolved in Europe over the course of the various plague and smallpox epidemics, which also utilize the same receptor as HIV. People with a deletion were far more likely to survive and become more dominant in the gene pool.
The mutation is limited to people of Caucasian descent.
Info compiled from various sources - non-internet sources. - brickbat, on 11/13/2008, -2/+14Wait a second...this is fron Germany? Where they have that socialist universal health care system where everyone can go to the hospital without losing their house?
Maah, let em keep their commie AIDS cure. We'll just keep takin' our 'Merican pharmaceuticals. - tourettes1992, on 11/13/2008, -3/+11***** A.
- keitarofujiwara, on 11/13/2008, -0/+8"But 20 months after undergoing a transplant of genetically selected bone marrow, he no longer shows signs of carrying the virus. 'We waited every day for a bad reading,' Huetter said."
This sounds real to me. - Blackham, on 11/13/2008, -1/+8Wasn't this on the front page last week?
- Dinsdale77, on 11/13/2008, -4/+11Holy amazing balls. This is why science is NEVER a waste of taxpayer money.
- Blackham, on 11/13/2008, -0/+7That's a prevention, not a cure.
- sockpuppets, on 11/13/2008, -3/+10You're an imbecile.
- albyliontk, on 11/13/2008, -4/+11The news is absolutely sensational, however the method is still questionable (as stated in the article). I can just hope this is going to be one of the ways for defeating this nasty desease forever.
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -1/+7Ok I believe you.
- Zervaman, on 11/13/2008, -2/+8Err...it's not a vaccine, but hey, it's better than nothing! Go science!
- Fatcheeseguy, on 11/13/2008, -1/+7Seriously I did, I had to take 4 cotton swabs and rub them in the inside of my cheek - 1 in each area (1 in the top left, 1 top right, 1 bottom left, 1 bottom right).
- MEGACAMZ, on 11/13/2008, -0/+6So wait a minute, was he being treated for Leukemia and AIDS?
Talk about having it bad. - Magnes, on 11/13/2008, -0/+6It's not gold.
- cfuse, on 11/13/2008, -0/+5Anyone who survives leukaemia deserves a break.
- Zervaman, on 11/13/2008, -2/+7Because we all know that only gay people can contract the HIV virus
- keitarofujiwara, on 11/13/2008, -0/+5...you're just happy to see me.
- worldnick, on 11/13/2008, -1/+6This was on the front page of google news too...
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -0/+4Except it's impractical... the bone marrow required as well as the lengthy operation, only the rich will be able to afford it. Don't expect the cure the poor African folks of it anytime soon.
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -0/+4Sounds more like the police asked you for a DNA sample.
NAMBLA ALERT! - ginogrz, on 11/13/2008, -0/+4Hopefully you have that extremely rare genetic mutation that allowed the bone marrow to cure AIDS.
- FDisk, on 11/13/2008, -0/+4Is that a bone marrow in your pocket or...........
- worldnick, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3This is surprisingly simple. In any case it is the first time I've ever heard of someone appearing to have at one time had the HIV virus and now does not. In most other cases where people are 'cured' they are actually just living with the virus or are immune to contracting it. This is different and if the virus is no longer present anywhere in the system then it is worth looking into.
- xaogypsie, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3Except the mortality rate for a bone marrow transplant is insanely high. If memory serves, there is about a 30% mortality rate within the first 100 days of the procedure, and many people have extremely poor quality of health as a result. Even in the case of leukemia (which I have), doctors use it as a last resort only.
- TheMandibleClaw, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3At this point any breakthrough is brilliant news. Think about how much money has been thrown at aids research over the last 20 years. Besides, while a vaccine would be great for us that don't have HIV, and would ultimately kill the disease going forward; I'm sure the millions of people around the work suffering from aids would much rather prefer a cure to a vaccine at this point.
- TVarmy, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3I'm not entirely sure you read the article. The person with AIDS received bone marrow from a person with a mutation that blocks the protein HIV binds to. When you replace a person's bone marrow, you also replace his blood, as all blood cells come from bone marrow. HIV binds to bone marrow.
The plan is not to use bone marrow transplants to help people with AIDS, but instead to use gene therapy. It's expensive, but it will work and will have less side effects than bone marrow replacement, which kills 30% of the patients who take undergo it. - gcnaddict, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3That's exactly the case.
RTFA. - TVarmy, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3Yep, but the story's evolved. We now have the experts' opinions on this, which the older article didn't have. This makes it more legit than your standard "AIDS cured?!" Digg front page post. I also heard a story about it last night on BBC's news show.
- petterp, on 11/13/2008, -0/+2Thats an extremely interesting hypothesis. As you say the CD4 mutation that has been selected for through plagues in europe reduces risk of infection upon exposure to HIV, but its far from immunity. New T-cells from the new bone marrow (with CD4 mutation) would have extreme exposure to the virus.
As you probably know there are certain people that have shown complete immunity to HIV. I would think its more probable that the bone marrow had this (unknown) mutation. - ParanoydAndroid, on 11/13/2008, -1/+3I'm not going to argue the merits of universal health care, but it's only fair to point out that the vast majority of new medical technologies - be they pharmaceuticals, diagnostic machinery, treatments, etc ... come from America.
Companies can spend billions developing treatments that may not even turn out to work, in order to have an incentive to develop these treatment the companies have to believe that the profits from the treatments that do work can recoup costs, and insure future research; basically, the price for every one successful drug has to pay for itself and the billions spent on 4 other failed drugs too.
America's private system can suck for Americans, but it does allow the companies the security of knowing they can make their necessary profits. Other countries can bask in cheap care from generic sources, but without American invention those generic drugs wouldn't have a name-brand originator in the first place. - TVarmy, on 11/13/2008, -0/+2Actually, it was his doctor's idea to get a bone marrow sample from someone with the mutation. It was an idea the doctor had, and I believe he had something like 80 matches on file to help the patient.
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -0/+2pool's open?
- RyomaNagare, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1This sounds great but I would think its not that uncommon considering the patient had a form of leuchemia, which increases the number of malignant whitecells, the same ones that get infected by aids.
considering HIV now a days is a chronic non lethal condition, i wouldn't get to exited about this, sure its kind a neat, but its not a significant advance in the war against HIV.
besides is much less painfull to use a freaking condom. - brickbat, on 11/14/2008, -0/+1The money is in the pill,,,,not the cure. While you are technically right that a lot of IP is created, show me the last cure to come from the mainstream US health corporations. To paraphrase Chris Rock- They're still pissed about all the money they lost on polio.
- LordMoolybap, on 11/13/2008, -1/+2You're correct. Here's a gold star *
- transfix, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Great news!
- havingfun0101, on 11/13/2008, -1/+2haha i see what you did there
- toshimonkey, on 11/13/2008, -1/+2They should try injecting THC into the bone marrow and see what happens
- kat81, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Just wondering. Did they walk you through the process of donating bone marrow on the chance you match to someone? Some people come back a match, then find out what they have to do to donate, and back down.
I have to get a bone marrow biopsy done in a week, and I'm not looking forward to it (and the biopsy is one hole in the hip, versus donation which is a dozen). Thankfully, I asked to be knocked out for it - I prefer to not find out what it feels like to get it done... although most people rather suffer the pain than be put under (it's only twilight sedation, so you're not all the way out).
I mean, good for you if you match and go through. But make sure you get some good painkillers after :) - xaogypsie, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1I've had a few biopsies, and they blow. The last time, I got so frustrated that they gave me 5mg of ativan through iv, and I was still restless.
Good luck, and I hope the results are good. - SpyDerMann, on 11/14/2008, -0/+1Nope. He felt a tickle when they had to drill his arm (with a diamond-tipped drill) to get the marrow. Needless to say, the drill broke so he had to break his own arm for the transplant to be successful.
Of course, he put it together afterwards and it was instantly healed. - kaynesan, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Did Chuck Norris shed a tear?
- roostersheep, on 01/16/2009, -1/+2OH TEH NOES! What are we going to do to stop gays having more sex?
- TVarmy, on 11/13/2008, -1/+2I have no agenda behind this, but this was discovered while more or less normally treating a patient. It wasn't quite an accident, but it doesn't sound like the doctor asked for a research grant to test out his idea.
Of course, a grant's most definitely deserved now, because it's time to develop a virus for the gene therapy! Once we get that down, we'll have an expensive, but real, cure for AIDS. - jsballardx, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1I think he was joking.
Can't we all joke around about anything without everyone in the world getting offended? - Supawantastic, on 11/13/2008, -0/+0As someone living with Leukemia (CML) - the real challenge is listed in the article. 20%-30% of the folks die as a result of the transplant (or prep for it). If you had a 2 or 3 chance in 10 of dying, would you take it?
With the new drugs, one has to make a decision of living with the disease under control (like t2 diabetes for example) or trying to hit a home run. Often times its better to just control the disease rather than risk your life on curative care. I am on Gleevec which is a very targeted drug that helps control blood cell production that has gone awry due to the presence of the Philadelphia Chromosome. My good friends at Novartis of course 'earn' $3,000 per month for my treatment but I'm otherwise now quite healthy with a pretty normal immune sytem.
With regards to HIV/AIDs, it would be great if we could cure with a vaccine or pill, but until that is the case the information that this person may now be cured is probably more notable as research than standard of care. -
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