Re: cell donor progam/ALI/?

[Guest guest]

> 3. I will take Campath, a chemo drug, that destroys most of my

immune system

> to get get ready for Simon's cells.

I've got to look up what Campath does, and read some papers on this to

understand it better. You are getting just T cells from Simon, not

hematopoietic stem cells, which would be at the apex of the branching

lineages that lead to T cells, B cells, macrophages and all the other

immune system cells. So you if Campath kills only your T cells, you

will need to keep your own stem cells to continue to generate all the

immune system cells for lineages other than T cells. But how does it

stop you from growing new T cells from your own stem cells? If you

did, a few months down the line there would be war between his T cells

and yours, and Simon's liver, so clearly this doesn't happen, but I'm

trying to understand how.

It's very interesting, and I hope your outcome is outstanding. I know

you are in very good hands at Starzl. I hope this is the wave of the

future, and can eliminate some of the hazards of immunosuppression.

I very much appreciate your willingness to participate in the study

for the benefit of future transplantees.

Martha (MA)