The patient has now been without detectable HIV for two years now, and is not currently on any antiretroviral medication. However, researchers warn that the therapy is "too extreme and too dangerous to be used as a routine treatment", and that a third of those who undergo it die from complications.
I'd still chalk it up as a victory for this kind of medical research, though. Who knows what kind of refinement might eventually come from such a development. And gene therapy is still a very new field: during the next ten or twenty years, we're likely to see even more powerful advances.
13 comments:
Interesting to note that this was ADULT stem cells, from a willing donor. No one is killing babies to perpetuate the lives of HIV-infested homosexuals in this case. Right-on for medical science.
Ol' You-Know-Who
Adding to what you have said OYWK: the stem cells came from an adult whose genome had already expressed the mutation that made this possible to begin with.
Now, think of ALL the babies that have been aborted, whose bodies might have held similar mutations that could have fought off HIV, cancer etc.
Mutation can be a good thing. It's how nature "shuffles the cards" every now and then, refreshes the deck. I seriously believe we play with peril when we deny the possibility of those new genes from entering the pool.
Jessica,
I will concede to your point.
The only other thing I know to say is that it was late, I was tired and I didn't happen to catch that.
For what it's worth, I personally would *never* use the word "infested" in such context.
And I hope that will satisfy you enough that you will continue to visit this blog :-)
The comment was VERY tongue-in-cheek. Sheesh, some folks just can't laugh at themselves. I, for one, am laughing at the character which you perceived me to be.
Ol' You-Know-Who
PS...I have good reasons to remain anonymous, as do all the others who post here in such a fashion.
Tongue in cheek? About gay people who may have HIV, or anyone who has HIV, straight, bi, whatever?
Tongue in cheek?
I don't think the Lord you so talk about all the time would like those kinds of comments. After all...isn't everyone precious in his sight?
Ol' Whats His Name
Should we limit this to whether to use a "c" or an "s" in a word that has the same essential linguistic meaning . . . .
Or should we expand this to the supposed psycho-social characteristics of an anonymous poster who laughs at himself and doesn't have the good sense to know whether using "c" or "s" in that word would be insulting or empathetic . . . .
Or maybe we should expand it even further, to consider whether God exists, and whether someone who acknowledges the existence of God would be so ignorant as not to know or care whether God would like his use of the English language.
Chris is the owner of this blog. It's his choice.
Ol' You-Know-Who
Locusts infeSt. Lice infeSts. Hornets infeSt.
HIV infeCts...
You're an idiot with a capitAl I!
Ol' Whats His Name
Personal attack??? Wooooo!
Chris, I never said I wouldn't continue to visit your blog. In fact, yours is one of the first blogs I ever bookmarked, and I enjoy reading your comments and hearing your perspective, even when I don't necessarily agree with you. I'm glad you took the time to respond, and thanks. Gay, straight, bi, trans...we're all in this together, like it or not. As a person who is Christian AND happens to be transgendered (and has lost friends, straight and gay, to AIDS), your comment meant a lot. Again, thanks. Maybe I was right after all.
To "ol you know who", I don't laugh when it comes to something as serious as HIV or AIDS. You can claim your comment was tongue in cheek, but I think you're confused as to which cheeks you were talking out of.
How can we say we are His, when our pride . . . . even "gay pride" . . . . is not nailed to the cross?
I accept your criticism, hand you my hammer and my nails.
Ol' You-Know-Who
No thanks, "Ol' You-Know-Who". Keep your hammer and nails, you want martyrdom, do it yourself. Being chastised on a blog for a bad choice of words and an anti-gay attitude is hardly crucifixion. You haven't even owned up to being wrong, just fallen back on the tried and true "I was just joking" ploy. False sincerity is almost as bad as false piety.
AMEN JESSICA!
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Ol'-What's-His-name
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