The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has approved a grant for a research team from the UC Davis Health System to conduct a new clinical trial. This new clinical trial using stem cells will look at using bioengineered stem cells to treat HIV positive patients who also have lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a form of cancer that begins in cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are an important part of the immune system because they responsible for fighting infection. Lymphocytes can be found in various parts of the body including the lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen and thymus. 

The two main types of lymphoma are Non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin. People with HIV have a weakened immune system and are much more likely to get this disease.

The $6.5 million grant will be used to test genetically modified hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells and analyse their effectiveness on HIV. The team’s gene therapy strategy has been tested on animals with promising results.

The treatment involves an improved technique that purifies HIV-resistant stem cells. Lead researcher Dr Mehrdad Abedi says: “We’re hoping this new hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for HIV will provide a one-time treatment, with the possibility of controlling both the lymphoma as well as HIV itself by eliminating the reservoirs of HIV in patients responsible for persistence of the disease.”

HIV continues to affect millions of people worldwide and the possibility of a cure is very exciting. Current antiretroviral therapies have helped treat many thousands of people but there are serious issues with drug toxicity and resistant variants of the virus. The only person in the world to have been cured of HIV did so after receiving a stem cell transplant. This clinical trial using stem cells hopes to emulate that success.

Source: Grant Awarded for HIV Clinical Trial Using Stem Cells

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