By The
Associated Press
Edited by Michelle Gamer
News Digest
Thursday, February 8, 1996 Page 2
Baboon bone marrow transplant
appears to have failed AIDS patient
SAN FRANCISCO — Baboon
bone marrow implanted in an AIDS
patient to boost his failing immune
system has apparently failed to
work, doctors said Wednesday.
But the AIDS patient, 38-year
old Jeff Getty, is doing “surpris
ingly well,” perhaps due to chemo
therapy, said Dr. Steven Deeks, who
performed the transplant at San
Francisco General Hospital on Dec.
14.
Getty, a former University of
Califomiapolicy analyst who turned
into an AIDS activist when he dis
covered he had the disease, said
from his Oakland home that he had
always known the chances of suc
cess were not good.
“When I came into this, I rolled
the dice,” he said. “I didn’t even
know if I was going to live through
the thing. Now I’m looking forward
to a long summer of sailing.”
Bone marrow produces the
body’s immune system, and the
baboon cells were transplanted into
Getty because the animals do not
become infected with AIDS for rea
sons biologists still don’t under
stand. \
Previous experiments with ba
boon bone marrow transplants had
failed because the bodies of the
human patients rejected the foreign
cells.
The treatment Getty received
was designed by Dr. Suzanne Ildstad
at University of Pittsburgh Medical
She added special facilitator cells
to baboon bone marrow stem cells
in hopes it would help the cells
engraft into Getty’s system and be
gin producing disease-fighting ba
boon immune system cells.
But after two months, doctors
have failed to find any clear signs of
baboon cells, Deeks said.
“At this point in time the results
are inconclusive, but suggest that if
there are any cells present, there
aren’t very many of them,” Deeks
said.
Despite the apparent failure,
Getty said he is feeling well.
“My immune system is doing
wonderfully,” he said.
“My immune cell numbers are
back to where they were in 1992,
and I actually feel better than I did
when I wrnt into the hospital.”
Getty said doctors believe the
radiation and chemotherapy prior
to the transplant may be respon
sible for a sharp decrease in the
virus’ presence in his body.
Deeks said Getty’s surprising
improvement may be as important
as the experiment itself.
“There are some hints as to why
Jeff is doing better, and this will
open up new areas of research,” he
said, but refused to be more spe
cific.
Getty and Deeks emphasized that
the procedure was successful in the
only area approved by the FDA—
“At this point in time
the results are
inconclusive, but
suggest that if there
are any cells present,
there aren’t very many
of them. ”
STEVEN PEEKS
AIDS patient’s doctor
showing that the baboon bone mar
row transplant into a human being
was safe.
Critics had objected to the ba
boon-to-human transplant because
of fears that a baboon disease could
be unleashed on the population
through the transplant process.
Deeks said the transplant proved
that so far, the fears are unfounded.
“There are no signs of any ba
boon viruses in Jeff, but we will
continue to monitor him,” Deeks
said.
Deeks said he intended to repeat
the transplant with knowledge
gained from Getty’s experience.
The engraftment may have failed
because Getty ’ s immune system was
not sufficiently suppressed before
the transplant, he said.
Report on plane crash
notes mechanical failure
gin itJNADA, Mexico—Mechani
cal failure that caused a fire is to
blame for the crash of a small plane
into a mountainside, killing all eight
people aboard, according to a prelimi
nary report by the Mexican Commu
nications and Transportation Depart
ment.
Federal officials were on the scene
of Tuesday’s crash and will release a
final report when they complete their
investigation, a ministry spokes
woman, Rosalba Paulin, said in
Mexico City on Wednesday.
Among the victims was Leobardo
Roa Helmecke, a 42-year-old former
state congressman and former state
president of the ruling Institutional
Revolutionary Party. At the time of
his death, he was state director of the
National Housing Institute.
“This has caused a great deal of
consternation in Baja California, es
pecially here in Mexicali, because he
was from here. He was very well
known,” said Francisco Lizarraga,
information chief of the daily newspa
per, Voz de la Frontera, in the state
capital of Mexicali.
The other victims were identified
by police as pilot Selim Weber
Hernandez, co-pilot Francisco
Delgado Arreola; National Housing
Institute employees Jesus Plascencia
Posada, Sergio Alberto Acero, Arturo
Paz Alvarez and Ines Sanchez Ayala;
and the leading stockholder of the
company Geo Provi, Manuel Esparza
Leon.
Officials from the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration and officials
from Cessna Aircraft Co., maker of
the twin-turbine airplane, were also
expected to arrive here Wednesday to
participate in the investigation,
Lizarraga said.
Rescue workers recovered the bod
ies from the crash site, and wreckage
was found spread across the area, said
police 2nd Lt. Javier Munoz, of the
nearby town of El Maneadero.
Nebraskan
Editor J. Christopher Hain Night News Editors Rebecca Oltmans
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Open House
X
k l
/4ttteC&fte ‘VaCletf,
‘THaj&i Study
to assess community needs and to identify opportunities
within our original neighborhoods
♦ How effective are current stormwater and
transportation systems?
♦ What are the needs of the neighborhoods
in the study area?
A focus on stormwater, transportation, and community revitalization.
The overall study area is between 10th and 22nd Streets,
Cornhusker Highway, and “K” and “L” Streets
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L.
i
TWO DATES AND LOCATIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:
Tuesday, February 13
5 to 9 p.m
Elliott Elementary School
225 S. 25 Street
Parking Available in OfficeMax parking lot, southwest corner
Wednesday, February 14
5 to 9 p.m.
Malone Community Center
2032 U Street
Parking Available in the Beadle Center Parking lot
Stations will provide information and staff will be available to discuss your concerns
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 474-6311, Ext. 750
Sponsoring Partnership: City of Lincoln, University of Nebraska, and Lower Platte South Natural Resources District
New Year Party
Sunday, Feb. 18
3:00 pm -11:00 pm
Games, Banquet,
Performances in
Centennial Room
Tickets: $10 each
Organized by Chinese
Contact Hongwei at
International Affairs 2-5358
Student and Scholar Assoc. m
p m
ALL THAT IS
Join Music Director Almeda Berkey,
pianist/composer Jackson Berkey, and
the Cantorum, in exploring the roots of
sacred music from chant through to
modem day classics and gospel.
Saturday, February 10th • 730 pm
Fkst United Methodist Chunti* Omaha
Sunday, February 11th • 3:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church • Lincoln
Tickets $14, $11 & $7 • Call 402-341-4111
I Deo Gloria
ntorum
Nebraska's professional chorale