On July 9th 2013, Calimmune announced they had treated the first patient in a clinical trial involving the use of an innovative gene-based stem cell therapy to help protect individuals infected with HIV from the effects of the AIDS virus. Jeff Sheehy, the HIV/AIDS patient advocate board member for California's Stem Cell Agency (CIRM), describes California's journey of funding HIV/AIDS research including this clinical trial which is funded by a CIRM Disease Team grant. He also emphasizes the courage of patients to enter clinical trials.

 

For more information, see the CIRM HIV/AIDS fact sheet