In a groundbreaking medical breakthrough, doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London have successfully cured a 13-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia using a new cancer therapy. The patient’s T-cells were modified using base editing to kill cancer cells in her body. The T-cells had previously attacked her body instead of protecting it, and chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant had failed to defeat the aggressive cancer. The base editing technique involves manipulating the DNA of the patient’s T-cells, which are then used to attack cancer cells.
The doctors first took healthy T-cells from a donor and modified them in several steps. They changed the cells so that they would not attack the patient’s body, removed the CD7 chemical marker from the T-cells, and gave them protection against chemotherapy. Finally, they modified the T-cells to attack all T-cells with the CD7 marker in the patient’s body. The modified T-cells eliminated both healthy and cancerous T-cells, leaving the patient’s immune system severely weakened during the 16-week therapy. She received a bone marrow transplant to rebuild her immune system after the treatment.
The first follow-up examination showed some indications of cancer, but further tests showed that they were not a cause for concern. The patient is now considered cured. Dr. Robert Chiesa, one of the doctors involved in the treatment, called it a success and plans to test the new cancer therapy on nine more patients. This new therapy is a significant development in the field of medicine, and the doctors are excited about the possibility of redirecting the immune system to fight cancer.
