[muawiyah]

Maybe the very small number of people with the immunity gene simply don’t want to become donors ~

[frithguild]

Or fear that they MUST become donors...

[jlaughlin]

It’s more likely they’re just not aware of it.

This is just another reason for me to not trust the MSM.

[wolf78]

Maybe the very small number of people with the immunity gene simply don’t want to become donors ~


The problem is a different one. An ideal HIV patient (no STDs or promiscuous sex, no drug use, no hepatitis etc., high level of compliance with the therapy) can expect to live a (n almost) normal life span. The side effects of antiretroviral therapy (risk of diabetes, heart attack etc.) have to be weighed against the risks of this cure.

A bone marrow transplant itself is very risky, because you have to destroy the old immune system to a degree where the transplant will eliminate the rest. And even afterswards immunosuppression against GVHD (graft-vs.-host-disease) is the norm. Immunosupressants themselves are potent drugs, with a number of side-effects of their own.

So if the "cure" means that you replace a working HAART regimen with potentially problematic immunosupressive regimen, it's not always worth it. It's worth looking into it, but far from a panacea.