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Science-Technology Title: Genetically modified blood turned into 'living drug' in stunning new therapy that hunts down and destroys diseased cells and prevents them from returning - possibly FOREVER A revolutionary treatment that could stop cancer from ever coming back is close to becoming widely available, scientists said yesterday. Dubbed a living drug, it will act in a similar way to a vaccine, by being constantly alert for the disease returning. T-cell immunotherapy hit headlines last year when British baby Layla Richards became one of the first people in the world to be given the treatment, which is made from the bodys own cells. Now, two landmark studies have revealed the therapys stunning potential. One suggests it will last for at least 14 years in the body, raising the tantalising prospect of a permanent cure for cancer. In the other, 94 per cent of terminally ill patients saw the disease vanish completely. The extraordinary results are unprecedented in medicine, the worlds biggest science conference heard The extraordinary results seen in so-called liquid cancers such as leukaemia rather than those that form solid tumours are unprecedented in medicine, the worlds biggest science conference heard. Researcher Chiara Bonini said: This really is a revolution. The treatment is created from T-cells white blood cells that normally fight off viruses and bacteria which are removed from the patient and genetically tweaked to recognise and attack their cancer. The genetically-modified cells are then grown in their millions in a lab before being infused back into the patient, where they hunt down and destroy the cancer cells. Scientists around the world are perfecting the technique, and a series of trials have shown it to have remarkable potential. Some of the most exciting results come from the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, where doctors gave ten patients infusions of T-cells and watched how long they lasted in the body. One type of T-cell survived for 14 years, the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science heard. Dr Bonini said these cells may last for life. If they were also genetically engineered to hunt out and destroy cancer, they would patrol the body year after year and stop it from ever returning. She likened the therapy to a vaccine that gives protection for life against an infection, adding: T-cells are a living drug and they have the potential to persist in our body for our whole lives. 'Our findings have profound implications for the design of T-cell-based immunotherapies. Dr Bonini said patients were very close to the first treatments becoming widely available.' T-cell immunotherapy is created from T-cells bottom left in left image) white blood cells that normally fight off viruses and bacteria. These are removed from the patient and genetically tweaked to recognise and attack their cancer. The genetically-modified cells are then grown in their millions in a lab before being infused back into the patient, where they hunt down cancer cells (right) The cancer cells are then destroyed. Researchers likened the therapy to a vaccine that gives protection for life against an infection. Scientists around the world are now perfecting the technique Professor Daniel Davis, a Manchester University expert on the immune system, described the study as an important advance. He said: The implication is that infusing genetically-modified versions of these particular T-cells could provide a long-lasting immune response. Immunotherapy has great potential to revolutionise cancer treatments and this study shows which type of T-cells might be especially useful to manipulate. A second study, also presented at the conference in Washington DC, reinforced the potential of T-cell immunotherapy. When scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle gave genetically-modified T-cells to leukaemia patients with months to live, the cancer disappeared in 94 per cent of cases. Patients with other blood cancers saw response rates of greater than 80 per cent, with more than half experiencing complete remission. Researcher Dr Stanley Riddell said: These are patients that have failed [every other treatment]. Most patients in our trial would be projected to have two to five months to live. 'This is extraordinary... unprecedented in medicine to get response rates in this range in these very advanced patients. We have a long way to go. The response is not always durable, some of these patients do relapse
but the early data is unprecedented. Professor Dirk Busch, a T-cell researcher at the Technical University of Munich, said: We have now for the first time genetically engineered T-cells in patients. A couple of years ago, nobody would have expected that they would work so nicely, that they would survive so nicely. That opens the door for getting more creative and making better cells. The treatment is not without its challenges, including side-effects that can be severe and even fatal. Success so far has been in leukaemia and other liquid cancers, rather than prostate, breast and other tumours that form lumps. Getting T-cells deep inside solid tumours will be difficult. Cost is also an issue, as the treatment is tailored to individual patients. Cancer Research UKs Dr Kat Arney said it was an exciting prospect. She stressed that it doesnt yet work for all patients
we still need more results from more trials
but theres a lot of hope this type of therapy could save lives. Like a vaccine that protects for life. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 5.
#4. To: cranky (#0)
Try to control your enthusiasm,Doc! You don't want people to think you are a wild-eyed dreamer,do you? This is really huge. I've been really excited about this stuff since I started reading about Nanotechnology is Issac Asimov's Science Fiction and Fact magazine 20 years ago. BTW,any of you out there that have any intelligent,or maybe even semi-intelligent children maybe 12-14 years old or older,I can't think of a better gift to give them than a 1 year subscription to that "tv digest" sized magazine. It is primarily science fiction short stories,but also has science facts and predictions,like the one I read about nano-technology. The short stories can open their minds to the world of possibilities,and the science fact articles are written at a layman's level of understanding,so even a bright child of 12 or so can get an inkling of what is being discussed without getting bogged down in incomprehensible details understandable only by PHD's. In MY opinion there is no question that one day within the next 20 years or so if diabetes (for example) runs in your family that you will be able to take your children to a local clinic and have both you and your children given an injection like a flue shot,and never again have to worry about it because this type of technology doesn't treat symptoms of diseases,it alters your body chemistry right at the cellular level. Insurance companies are going to love this. Corporate hospitals,not so much. Big Pharma,not so much. Look for Big Hospitals and Big Pharma to try to buy up patents to keep this type of medicine off the market to all but the very wealthy,such as the people who own Big Pharma and Big Hospitals.
Was PK Dick a subscriber before or after he started seeing pink lights from god?
#8. To: VxH (#5)
Beats me. You seem to the one that knows about him.
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