Possible stem cell cure for AIDS

Dec 17 2010

An explosion of stem cell breakthroughs, including a possible cure for AIDS, is reshaping the possibilities for curing deadly and debilitating diseases around the globe, says Emerging Healthcare Solutions President and CEO Cindy Morrissey.

“With more and more promising research being conducted around the world, there's no question that stem cells are the future of medical treatment”

Every day, promising reports of new stem cell treatments crop up around the globe as part of a new wave of research seeking to restore damaged organs and tissue to health. Yesterday, a stunning report emerged in the journal Blood detailing an AIDS patient who underwent a stem cell transplant and has apparently been cured of the disease as a result of the experimental procedure. The transplant also cured his leukemia, researchers reported. Such breakthroughs in the fight against previously incurable maladies are becoming commonplace, charting new frontiers of medicine, Morrissey said.

"With more and more promising research being conducted around the world, there's no question that stem cells are the future of medical treatment," Morrissey said. "Emerging Healthcare Solutions is dedicated to championing stem cell innovations with the power to change people's lives, just as this stem-cell treatment for HIV has the potential to do. The incredible demand for such treatments ensures that the regenerative medicine industry will continue to grow by leaps and bounds for years to come, if not decades."

Earlier this month, EHSI announced its acquisition of Panamanian biotech firm Celulas Genetica, a Central American leader in stem-cell technology acquisition and development. Last week, the company announced that Celulas Genetica will submit an international patent application for the Rutherford Procedure, a revolutionary new stem-cell treatment for liver disease. Celulas Genetica licensed the procedure from a Chinese firm, BBFITCL, and plans to conduct the treatment's clinical trials in China, as well.

The Rutherford Procedure is being developed to use proton therapy to destroy scar-tissue cells in the liver using high-energy proton beams, a non-invasive treatment proven to minimize damage to healthy tissues and to eliminate the side effects (including nausea) of traditional radiation therapy.

As the scar tissue is systematically destroyed by the proton therapy, a catheter will deliver the patient's own cultured stem cells directly to his or her liver through the bloodstream. As more and more diseased tissue is destroyed, these cultured stem cells could help regenerate the patient's damaged, cirrhotic liver into a healthy, functioning organ once more.

EHSI invests in technology developed to compete in the stem-cell research industry alongside Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN), Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN), Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) and Pharmaceutical Product Development (NASDAQ: PPDI).