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Whoa, that’s fantastic for all cancer patients. Unfortunately this gene therapy works only in 2 out of 17 people. More research is required for sure.

Malignant melanoma

Two men have been cleared of deadly skin cancer using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells.
For Mark Origer, 53, the treatment destroyed his tumour, enabling him to attend his daughter’s wedding.

The US National Cancer Institute team in Bethesda has also shown it can manipulate immune cells to attack breast, liver and lung cancers.

The modified T cells persisted in 15 other patients treated, but their malignant melanomas remained.

Tests showed the genetically modified T cells used in the new treatment became specialised tumour fighters, the journal Science reports.

Although only two of the 17 people with advanced melanoma who received the treatment were completely free of cancer 18 months later, experts say the results are extremely exciting and proof that this new therapy can work.

How it works

FIGHTING CANCER WITH GENES

1 Blood taken from patient 2 T cells infected with virus to carry key genes into them 3 DNA from genes helps cells develop receptors 4 Modified cells injected back into patient 5 Receptors target cancerous cells to be killed

Dr Stephen Rosenberg and his team isolated T cells from the cancer patients and multiplied them in the lab.

Next they used a virus to carry receptor genes into the T cells. These receptors are what enable the modified T cell to recognise specific cancers - in this case malignant melanoma.

When the modified T cells were transfused into the patients they began to attack the tumour cells.

For at least two months after the treatment, the modified cells made up at least 10% of the patients’ circulating T cells.

The scientists are now looking at ways to enable greater numbers of the modified T cells to survive.

Dr Rosenberg said: “We’ve identified T cell receptors that will now recognise common cancers.”

Read more on: bbc.co.uk

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