Huge breakthrough in Cancer treatment using modified T-cells

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have genetically engineered patients' T-cells to attack cancer cells in advanced cases of leukemia. Two of three patients in the clinical trial have remained cancer free for a year.

This is so fascinating to me. I didn't know that you could actually program cells to do specific things. The idea that things like this can be done now is so amazing. Yay for science!

From L.A. Times:

To build the cancer-attacking cells, the researchers modified a virus to carry instructions for making a molecule that binds with leukemia cells and directs T cells to kill them. Then they drew blood from three patients who suffered from chronic lymphocytic leukemia and infected their T cells with the virus.

When they infused the blood back into the patients, the engineered T cells successfully eradicated cancer cells, multiplied to more than 1,000 times in number and survived for months. They even produced dormant "memory" T cells that might spring back to life if the cancer was to return.

On average, the team calculated, each engineered T cell eradicated at least 1,000 cancer cells.

Side effects included loss of normal B cells, another type of white blood cell, which are also attacked by the modified T cells, and tumor lysis syndrome, a complication caused by the breakdown of cancer cells.

Photo Credit: Penn Medicine