[MilesHackett]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/worl...dly_virus.html

Doctors in Germany believe they've cured a man of HIV.

Timothy Brown, an American living in Berlin, was given stem-cell therapy and chemotherapy in 2007 to treat leukemia, a condition that developed after he was infected with the AIDS virus.

Three years later, doctors believe the 42-year-old has been cured of both cancer and HIV.

"Our results strongly suggest that cure of HIV has been achieved in this patient," wrote study author Kristina Allers in this month's issue of the medical journal Blood.

Doctors say they treated Brown with stem cells and bone marrow from a healthy individual with a genetic predisposition to resist HIV.

Doctors believe Brown is the first person ever to be cured of HIV and say the treatment could pave the way for a new approach in fighting the virus.

The treatment was not without side effects. Brown developed neurological problems that caused temporary blindness and memory problems as well as difficulty with coordination and speech.

Dr. Gero Hutter, the lead doctor overseeing Brown's treatment, told the German magazine Stern his team has "overthrown the dogma that HIV can never be cured."

"Something like this is the greatest thing one can achieve in medical research," he said.

Pretty incredible. What do you guys think of stem cell research anyway? I can't recall there being a major discussion of this issue.

[bail3yz]

stemcell research seems awesome to me.. especially since I recently had the good fortune to come into possession of a few dead fetus' that I'm trying to unload

[cplmac]

This could be a history changing medical breakthrough, and it could be a disaster that has yet to unfold. I'm personally all for stem cell research, we should be investing all the wasted "green technology" money on stem cell research and let the private sector develop green technology. There seems to be a lot of promise in stem cell research, and the idea that a form of cancer can be cured is simply incredible. We need to wait and see the extent of the side effects of this treatment before declaring it a success, so far the side effects seem pretty brutal.

[MilesHackett]

I agree cpl, we shouldn't be be throwing our hands up in celebration just yet. Those side effects are awful, but if with time they can be reduced or entirely removed as the technology develops, this could be fantastic for sufferers of horrible illnesses like these ones. I definitely agree that we should pursue its development, but caution should absolutely be exercised.

[e-thug]

This is some ground breaking news, not a complete success yet but there has to be a tonne of optimism surrounding what stem cells can do.

Hopefully this breakthrough will lead to more funding as from what I understand there is a lack of it at this time.

[Wise]

The side effects are scary but when you have a choice between those and dying, for a lot of people I imagine they will choose life.

Personally I have no issues with stem cell research although I believe they are wrong in that hes the first person to be cured of HIV. That man is Magic Johnson and all it took was a pure injection of money.

[bail3yz]

Originally Posted by FullMetal

How could stem cell usage be a disaster?

zombie apocalypse ... obviously

[XitUp]

In before col says something stupid.

Originally Posted by cplmac

This could be a history changing medical breakthrough, and it could be a disaster that has yet to unfold. I'm personally all for stem cell research, we should be investing all the wasted "green technology" money on stem cell research and let the private sector develop green technology. There seems to be a lot of promise in stem cell research, and the idea that a form of cancer can be cured is simply incredible. We need to wait and see the extent of the side effects of this treatment before declaring it a success, so far the side effects seem pretty brutal.

D'oh!

I agree that stem cell research is very interesting avenue to go down and it would be a huge shame to miss out on anything if bible bashers started bitching. Oh, on that note, in before Aaron says something stupid.

[*TN*]

Originally Posted by cplmac

This could be a history changing medical breakthrough, and it could be a disaster that has yet to unfold. I'm personally all for stem cell research, we should be investing all the wasted "green technology" money on stem cell research and let the private sector develop green technology. There seems to be a lot of promise in stem cell research, and the idea that a form of cancer can be cured is simply incredible. We need to wait and see the extent of the side effects of this treatment before declaring it a success, so far the side effects seem pretty brutal.

What?! Why should green energybe left to the market and not medicine?

Unlike medicine, energy usage is subject to the fallacy of division. Just because it doesn't make sense for society for us to pollute like mad and keep using dangerous, non-renewable sources doesn't mean it doesn't make sense for any individual in that society.

I can free ride on my neighbours choice to power his car with potato juice. I can't do the same for his choice to purchase stem cell related medical treatment. (Or only to a much, much more limited degree.)

THAT'S the justification for government involvement in green energy.

[Lotus]

hey awesome see there is hope for people like bail.