Bone Marrow Transplant Suppresses HIV?

A reprint from Reuters:

A bone marrow transplant using stem cells from a donor with natural genetic resistance to the AIDS virus has left an HIV patient free of infection for nearly two years, said German researchers. The patient, an American living in Berlin, was infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS and also had leukemia. The best treatment for the leukemia was a bone marrow transplant, which takes the stem cells from a healthy donor's immune system to replace the patient's cancer-ridden cells.Dr. Gero Hutter and Thomas Schneider of the Clinic for Gastroenterology, Infections and Rheumatology of the Berlin Charite hospital said on Wednesday the team sought a bone marrow donor who had a genetic mutation known to help the body resist AIDS infection. The mutation affects a receptor, a cellular doorway, called CCR5 that the AIDS virus uses to get into the cells it infects. When they found a donor with the mutation, they used that bone marrow to treat the patient. Not only did the leukemia disappear, but so did the HIV. "As of today, more than 20 months after the successful transplant, no HIV can be detected in the patient," the clinic said in a statement. "We performed all tests, not only with blood but also with other reservoirs," Schneider told a news conference. "But we cannot exclude the possibility that it's still there." The researchers stressed that this would never become a standard treatment for HIV. Bone marrow stem cell transplants are rigorous and dangerous and require the patient to first have his or her own bone marrow completely destroyed. Patients risk death from even the most minor infections because they have no immune system until stem cells can grow and replace their own. HIV has no cure and is always fatal. Cocktails of drugs can keep the virus suppressed, sometimes to undetectable levels. But research shows the virus never disappears—it lurks in so-called reservoirs throughout the body. Hutter's team said they have been unable to find any trace of the virus in their 42-year-old patient, who remains unnamed, but that does not mean it is not there. "The virus is tricky. It can always return," Hutter said. The CCR5 mutation is found in about 3 percent of Europeans, the researchers said. They said the study suggests that gene therapy, a highly experimental technology, might someday be used to help treat patients with HIV.

As of 2008, AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives worldwide, and despite promising medical treatments and increased prevention awareness, the number continues to grow on a daily basis. Let's resolve to do whatever we can in 2009 to finally end the AIDS pandemic. AIDS Community Services has been at the front lines of the battle against HIV and AIDS in Western New York since 1983, and we'll continue to be here until there's a cure. If you'd like more information about how you can help, visit our website.

Have You Ever Wondered?

Have you ever wondered why AIDS Community Services adopted the evergreen tree as a symbol? Well, it's all because of a page in a daily calendar. September 17, to be precise. The calender featured an inspirational quote for each day, along with a short meditation to go along with the quote. The September 17 quote was from a poem by Gilbert Maxwell: There are trees that seem to die at the end of autumn. There are also the evergreens.

The meditation is as follows: among us are people who are like evergreens. They keep hope alive in themselves and radiate hope for the rest of us. They stand tall, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. They tell us that we have choices. They challenge us to be powerful creators of our lives. They refuse to be victims. They build organizations, speak to the press, and sometimes disappear for a while in order to grow strong again. Most of all, they teach us that AIDS is a fightable diseaseand that we are powerful people. They teach us how to love and accept ourselves, that this is our strongest defense. They teach us how to be survivors, evergreens.

Now you know.

World AIDS Day 2008 at ACS

Starbucks Goes Red

On World AIDS Day (Monday, December 1) Starbucks will donate 5 cents to the Global Fund for every hand-crafted beverage sold in-store between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The Global Fund fights AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 136 countries around the world, and to date has committed $11.3 billion dollars to fund agressive interventions against the three diseases.

The 20th World AIDS Day

ACS is observing World AIDS Day with a full day of events beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, December 1. Fabric panels from the Mending of the Hearts Memorial Project will be featured, along with music by Kindred and a special Prayer for Healing. All events are free of charge, and will take place at the new Evergreen Conference Center at 119 West Chippewa Street. The public is cordially invited!

Many of our clients* depend on the ACS food pantry to get the nutrition they need to stay as healthy as possible. Popular items like peanut butter, jelly and juice are always the first to run out each month, so we're asking area schools to make a one month commitment to the new Peanut Butter Jelly Time program to help us keep these popular - and nutritious - items well stocked. Students will learn about community engagement and make a real difference in the lives of our clients. If you're interested, contact Liz at 332-2268 extension 371 or via email at lodell@aidscommunityservices.com.

* approximately 200 clients utilize the agency's food pantry on a monthly basis.