Doctors at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital claim to have cured two infants with aggressive and previously incurable forms of leukaemia, according to reports in journal Science Translational Medicine. The treatment involved isolating healthy immune T-cells in donors and deactivating the T-cell genes that would normally cause them to be rejected once transplanted. A team led by Professor David Sinclair from University College London (UCL) has shown how a single injection can effectively treat patients suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While the use of engineered T-cells has previously been successful in treating blood cancers, using donated cells offers the potential for a cheaper, faster cure.
Doctors at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital claim to have cured two infants with aggressive and previously incurable forms of leukaemia, according to reports in journal Science Translational Medicine. The treatment involved isolating healthy immune T-cells in donors and deactivating the T-cell genes that would normally cause them to be rejected once transplanted. The technique makes use of a genetic engineering tool known as TALENs, which designed the T-cells to attack cancer cells directly. While the use of engineered T-cells has previously been successful in treating blood cancers, using donated cells offers the potential for a cheaper, faster cure.