HOME  INTERVIEWS  RESOURCES  NEWS  ABOUT

View by:  Subject  Theme  Question  Term  Person  Event

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

Pluripotent stem cells could be used in treatment of virtually all primary immunodeficiency diseases. Presently, there are more than 70 different forms of congenital and inherited deficiencies of the immune system that have been recognized. These are among the most complicated diseases to treat with the worst prognoses. Included here are diseases such as severe combined immunodeficiency disease (the “bubble boy” disease), Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, and the auto-immune disease lupus. The immune deficiencies suffered as a result of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) following infection with the human immunodeficiency virus are also relevant here.http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/pid/contents.htm  http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/1997/97.03.21/rfp-rfa-primary-immu11.html. These diseases are characterized by an unusual susceptibility to infection and often associated with anemia, arthritis, diarrhea, and selected malignancies. However, the transplantation of stem cells reconstituted with the normal gene could result in restoration of immune function and effective normalization of life span and quality of life for these people.

Email link | Printer-friendly | Feedback | Contributed by: AAAS DoSER and the Institute for Civil Society

Go to Genetics Topic Index
Stem Cell Research and Applications: Monitoring the Frontiers of Biomedical Research
Preface
Findings and Recommendations
The Science of Stem Cell Research and Potential Therapies
     Current Status of Human Stem Cell Research
     Sources and Characteristics of Human Stem Cells
        Human Embryonic Stem Cells
        Human Embryonic Germ Cells.
        Human Adult Stem Cells
     The Clinical Potentials for Stem Cell Products
     Some Examples of Treatments for Major Diseases
        Type 1 Diabetes in Children
        Nervous System Diseases
        Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases
        Diseases of Bone and Cartilage
        Cancer
     Uses in Research
        A New Window on Human Developmental Biology
        Models of Human Disease that are Constrained by Current Animal and Cell Culture Models
        Transplantation
        Gene Therapy
Spiritual and Religious Contexts
Ethical Concerns
     The Moral Status of Human Stem Cells
     Moral Issues Surrounding the Sources of Stem Cells
Sources of Stem Cells and Guidelines for Use
Justice Considerations
Funding
Oversight and Accountability
     Private Sector Oversight
     Intellectual Property Considerations
     Public Sector Oversight
Conclusion
Appendix I: Working Group Members
Appendix II: Staff
Appendix III: About AAAS and ICS

Source:

Audrey R. Chapman, Ph.D., Mark S. Frankel, Ph.D., and Michele S. Garfinkel, Ph.D. for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and The Institute for Civil Society

Genetics
Health
Ethics
Opinions
Dolly the Cloned Sheep
Books on Bioethics