Have you ever heard of stem cells? Do you know the benefits of these types of treatments?
Also called stem cells, they have been used in the treatment of cancer patients for decades.
More and more benefits are being discovered from the medical use of this particular type of cell, which is found in all multicellular organisms. One of the many positive impacts is precisely that of contributing to the cure of HIV.
Below, we tell you in detail all the details of this striking news.
Conference on retroviruses and opportunistic diseases in Denver
There is a highly interesting case that was presented in the academic space dedicated in Denver to the treatment of this and other viral diseases. The CROI (for its acronym in English), created in 1993, has recently been a place of academic discussion of crucial importance due to the medical alternatives presented there in relation to viral diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 and the famous coronavirus—or covid-19—.
But the list of viral diseases can be quite extensive. Since its inception, this conference has devoted a special chapter to HIV—or human immunodeficiency virus—and the progress made on this subject is truly encouraging.
The case study
This is a case study of a 64-year-old female patient who underwent stem cell therapy to treat her acute myeloid leukemia. The patient also suffered from HIV.
The umbilical cord blood given to her had a positive effect on the treatment of both diseases. In particular, the Anglo-American woman was shown to be completely cured of HIV.
This represents a paradigm shift with regard to this type of disease, as well as a promising field of research and encouraging news for those suffering from this immunodeficient disease.
What are these cells and how are they obtained?
Adult organisms produce them naturally, especially mesenchymal cells (related to the origin of viscera) and hematopoietic cells (related to the formation of blood cells). They also originate in the specific tissue of each organ. You have, for example, dermal cells and smooth muscle cells of the intestine. These are responsible for regeneration when there is some type of tissue damage.
Research has established methods to obtain them from preserved embryos, from individual blastomeres, from parthenogenesis, from amniotic fluid, and even from cadaveric donors. Umbilical cord stem cells are considered multipotent populations, relatively easy to obtain and that can be preserved for up to 15 years.
Treatments with this type of cells
Shinya Yamanaca, a Japanese man who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine, has referred to the importance of these cells in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, neuronal destruction, heart attacks, spinal cord injuries, and various types of cancer.
Yamanaca has insisted on the risk involved in their indiscriminate use outside conventional medical practice. Likewise, he has revived the discussion of their importance in the research of medical treatments, moving away from ethical interpretations such as those derived from their use in cloning. The positive impact on the cure of HIV has renewed interest in the properties of these cells.
Anglo-Saxon doctors have sent a message of hope to those who have contracted HIV, a disease with devastating mortality rates despite the use of prophylactic methods such as condoms, since, in addition to sexual transmission, it can be transmitted through blood and perinatally (from mother to child).
They have also extended the invitation to pregnant women to freeze their baby’s umbilical cord cells with future treatments in mind.
We believe that we can all contribute our help to the research of these stem cell treatments that, as you can see, save lives every day.
