Why Not????!!!!!

And keep buying Pat Girondi's CDs. All proceeds go to fund these trials and this is something affordable that most can do.

I have met quite a few doctors at conferences over the past few years, and some like Drs Vichinsky, Wood and Piga are real heroes to me for both their amazing efforts and their genuine concern over the fate of patients, but one doctor has stood out more than any other because of the ultimate confidence he projects about his work. This doctor is Dr Michael Sadelain. Dr Sadelain is truly convinced that his work will lead to a new cure for thalassemia and his trials on animals have shown that the basis of his beliefs are strong. I believe that Dr Sadelain's work will bring us this cure and that the only thing holding him back if insufficient funding. Hopefully with a regime change in the US, we will be seeing more direction of tax dollars into medical research and development instead of creating such a monstrous war machine, but we also need private donors if we are to get this off the ground. Thalassemia affects people all around the globe so this does need to be an international effort. There is a lot of money flowing in the oil rich countries of the Mideast and these countries have a substantial thalassemia problem. Convincing the wealthy in these countries to become donors to the cause of finding a cure should be a priority. Many of these people have family members affected by thalassemia and we need to find a way to reach these people and convince them that the only thing holding back a cure is funding.

 Hi Andy,

 This is a question I intended to ask you: how far has it gone? that is, where are we standing with gene therapy? You talked about Dr. Sadelain. Please tell us, how far has he gone with his work?
As for genetherapy funding, this is the role of TIF, isn't it? To search for financial resources in the Mideast or anywhere else. Of course, first of all, it should be a national goal, but where nations move slowly, individuals have to take action. That is not fair, but that's the way it is. But for TIF things are easier due to its contacts and its being an international federation.

Personally I do not think genetherapy is close enough, so keep going with means we have at hand.