Carl June examining T-cells engineered using HIV virus, as seen on NYTImes.
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It is possible that in the future, this approach may reduce or replace the need for bone marrow transplantation.
Says Dr. Carl June, the research team lead who presented data of successful and sustained demonstration of use of gene transfer therapy to turn the body?s own immune cells into weapons aimed at cancerous tumors. Dr. June says in the Upenn press release,
Our results show that chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells have great promise to improve the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.
In all the excitement ?about the results and the complete remission of cancer in Emma Whitehead, I seemed to have neglected the part where HIV virus (very important indeed) were used for obtaining engineered T-cells (why) in my previous post on the research and thought that would shed some light on this?
The significance of using HIV virus to genetically modify T-Cells?
Viruses are natural delivery vehicles and specialize in invading genes of cells. Now, HIV virus naturally invades T-cells and hence becomes the most suitable candidate for T-cell modifications. Even though HIV-1 virus has been used to insert DNA into cells for gene therapy, this is the first time that it has been used for cancer patients.
In this case, (Emma Whitehead) the leukemia was affecting the B-cells and hence the T-cells were engineered to contain genes that would help in identifying B cells by the presence of a particular protein on their surface and then initiate an immune attack of the cell irrespective of whether it is healthy or leukemia B cell.
What Carl June and his T-cell gene manipulation research team did was this, from the previous post:
What is this new leukemia treatment about?
The new treatment involves empowering your immune system to fight against its own cancerous cells.
- Doctors take out patient?s T-Cells (this is a type of white blood cells)
- The genetic makeup of the T cells is changed by inserting new genes into it.
- The new genes are inserted using disabled HIV.
- The new T-cells can kill cancer cells.
- Altered T-cells are inserted back into the patient via intravenous route.
- They multiply in the body.
- These T-cells begin to kill cancer cells and also attacks B-cells which have become malignant in cases with leukemia.
- The T-cells identifies cancerous B-cells by the CD-19 found on its surface.
- The patient experiences a cytokine storm, and become terribly ill with chills and fevers, a result of the immune system.
- However, once body fights the cancer, it stabilizes to emerge free of cancer cells.
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Related posts:
- Dr. Carl June?s Leukemia Treatment May Replace Bone Marrow Transplantation!
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Clinical Trials
- Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treatment Options
- Minimal Residual Disease and Implications In ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia)
- Exciting Experimental Leukemia Therapy May Help Multiple Myeloma Patients Some Day
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