Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles announced yesterday they may have discovered a new weapon in the war against HIV. Scientists say they can engineer stem cells to act as a genetic vaccine of sorts, the Advocate reports.

“We have demonstrated in this proof-of-principle study that this type of approach can be used to engineer the human immune system, particularly the T-cell response, to specifically target HIV-infected cells,” lead investigator Scott Kitchen, assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the Devid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said in a release. “These studies lay the foundation for further therapeutic development that involves restoring damaged or defective immune responses toward a variety of viruses that cause chronic disease, or even different types of tumors.”

This news comes as Michigan lawmakers are preparing to hold hearings on how to limit stem cell research in Michigan. Voters last year approved stem cell research, but the GOP dominated Senate is planning hearings on Wednesday to develop what Michigan Coalition for Progress calls “restrictions” on research.

In 2008 over 2.5 million Michigan citizens voted overwhelmingly to pass Proposal 2, which lifted the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, giving hope to millions of people who could benefit from this groundbreaking and lifesaving research. But on Wednesday, December 9th, the Senate Health Policy committee and Chairman Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) are taking the first step towards taking this hope away.

George is a doctor and is currently seeking the Republican nomination for governor. He faces Mike Bouchard, the Oakland County Sheriff; Mike Cox, Michigan’s current attorney general; Rick Snyder, an Ann Arbor businessman; Pete Hoekstra, Congressman from Holland; and Tim Rujan, a Huron County Commissioner.