Bringing prosocial values to translational, disease-specific stem cell research.

Background: Disease-specific stem cell therapies, created from induced pluripotent stem cell lines containing the genetic defects responsible for a particular disease, have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of refractory chronic diseases. Given their capacity to differentiate into any human cell type, these cell lines might be reprogrammed to correct a disease-causing genetic defect in any tissue or organ, in addition to offering a more clinically realistic model for testing new drugs and studying disease mechanisms. Clinical translation of these therapies provides an opportunity to design a more systematic, accessible and patient-influenced model for the delivery of medically innovative treatments to chronically ill patients.

Hepatitis C treatment with triple therapy in a patient with hemophilia A.

We report a case of successful treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection with telaprevir-based triple therapy in a patient with hemophilia A complicated by factor VIII inhibitor. A twenty-two years old male with hereditary hemophilia A and high-titer factor VIII inhibitor was taking maintenance doses of recombinant factor VIII. He visited our clinic for treatment of his chronic hepatitis C with the newly instituted protease inhibitor based therapy.

Toward a more stable blood supply: charitable incentives, donation rates, and the experience of September 11.

Although excess blood collection has characterized U.S. national disasters, most dramatically in the case of September 11, periodic shortages of blood have recurred for decades.