Recently I read a news article about a man called Adam Castillejo who was cured from HIV by a stem cell transplant he received for a cancer that he had and is still virus free 30 months after stopping HIV medication! This compelled me to research further into this, as I personally would have never made this link. 

Stem cells are known for their ability to change into specialised cells that later develop to become blood cells, bones, and all human organs. Stem cells are cells produced by bone marrow and utilised to treat many medical diseases and conditions with their potential to repair, replace, restore and regenerate cells. They are most commonly used to replace damaged cells in cancer patients to fight such diseases.

I’m sure almost everyone has heard of HIV, but just to recap, HIV stands for a Human Immunodeficiency Virus that weakens people’s defence against infections and is most prevalent in male homosexual contact. At the end of 2018, it was found that an estimate of 1.2 million Americanshad HIV, with 76% of those being men. To shock you even more, HIV is top 15 for the leading causes of death globally in 2016. Now with that background knowledge of both, have you ever thought that stem cells can cure HIV? 

I particularly have never put two and two together, however, with recent news, it is stated that there are currently five people cured of HIV – most of them cured as a result of stem cell transplants. Current research has illustrated that stem cell transplants stop the HIV virus being able to replicate by replacing the patient’s damaged immune cells with specialised donor immune cells that resist the HIV infection. However, this treatment is aggressive and primarily used for cancer patients, and health professionals suggest not using this therapy for those on successful anti-retroviral treatment for HIV. 

The primary goal for treating HIV is the clearance of the virus from the body through augmentation of immune responses. For those who don’t know, CCR5 is a receptor that HIV uses to enter cells in the body. Those who are resistant to HIV appear to have two mutated copies of the CCR5 receptor, which means that the virus cannot penetrate the cells. Researchers have suggested the use of gene therapy (gene modification) to target the CCR5 receptor in HIV patients. Researchers are currently developing strategies to cure HIV, with the idea that stem cells are resistant to the virus, the cells produce lower amounts of infectious virus, or the cells specifically target the immune response against the virus.

Previous clinical trials have shown new advances in these stem cell-based approaches to curing HIV, with onein particular demonstrating that large-scale gene therapy trials can be done in a conventional and reproducible way. This efficient way to produce these specialised stem cells is ground-breaking and only further paves the way for a promising cure!

For me, I would have never thought stem cells to be the cure for HIV, or even the fact that this disease is curable with, although very few, survivors. I feel that this topic is very underdiscussed, especially since reading into this field, I have only further enriched my knowledge. New and current emerging information on HIV and gene therapy has laid the groundwork for the potential development of a cure for HIV, however, long-term follow-up is needed.

Manuel is only four-year-old when he is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Manuel is an Italian boy who survived cancer thanks to a stem cell transfusion from a Spanish donor and ten years after the transplantation, his family decided to visit the center where the stem cells that gave Manuel a second life originated. A moving moment for Mother Simona, who received a token of love in the form of a contribution that she, too, decided to make in 2007, with the birth of her second child.

For about 35 years now, in a completely non-invasive and safe way, it has been possible to donate mother’s umbilical cord from which special cells are taken, stored, and used to treat diseases of people from anywhere in the world. These “special cells” are called Hematopoietic stem cells and can change into any sort of blood cell and can be utilized for transplants that help cure diseases such as blood problems, immunological deficiencies, metabolic diseases, and some forms of malignancies. At the end of the birth, after the cut, about 1 liter of blood is taken through a puncture to the umbilical cord. The sample obtained is sent to the collection bank, assessed if suitable and then frozen pending use. Banking cord blood has been compared to a “biological insurance policy” and there are two types of banks to go to: private and public, but which is the best solution to ensure safety for your child?

The choice should always lean towards donation and the reason is primarily scientific as there is no scientific evidence that private conservation is useful in the treatment of various diseases treatable through transplantation (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1601996/). When a mother decides to donate to a private bank, the treatment is carried out for a fee and the cells are kept for a period of about 20 years, after which, by paying a further amount, the storage time can be extended. The cells are accessible only to the patient from whom they were taken or from a family member, with the intention of treating a possible future disease. The point is that in the case of oncological or genetic diseases, one’s cord blood cells could already be carriers of those genetic “defects” that have led to the disease. In these cases, the persistence of diseased cells in the product which is reinfused involves the risk of the disease reappearing. The only justified case for turning to private banks could be the presence of a hereditary risk, which can be treated with autologous stem cells. On the other side, donating to a public institution is free and guarantees a second life to a patient with a match who really needs it. If every mother decided to turn to public bodies, the material kept in the banks would increase and there would be much more chances that every applicant could find a compatible donor.

Donate is life, love and a responsible gesture towards the world and everyone should be aware of it.

The video below shows the process of how to harvest stem cells from umbilical cord blood and keep them in the bank