[SCIENCE!] Modified AIDs Virus Used to Cure Child's Leukemia

[Shyria Dracnoir]

New York Times article

It is hard to believe, but last spring Emma, then 6, was near death from leukemia. She had relapsed twice after chemotherapy, and doctors had run out of options.

Desperate to save her, her parents sought an experimental treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one that had never before been tried in a child, or in anyone with the type of leukemia Emma had. The experiment, in April, used a disabled form of the virus that causes AIDS to reprogram Emma’s immune system genetically to kill cancer cells.

The treatment very nearly killed her. But she emerged from it cancer-free, and about seven months later is still in complete remission. She is the first child and one of the first humans ever in whom new techniques have achieved a long-sought goal — giving a patient’s own immune system the lasting ability to fight cancer.

To perform the treatment, doctors remove millions of the patient’s T-cells — a type of white blood cell — and insert new genes that enable the T-cells to kill cancer cells. The technique employs a disabled form of H.I.V. because it is very good at carrying genetic material into T-cells. The new genes program the T-cells to attack B-cells, a normal part of the immune system that turn malignant in leukemia.

The altered T-cells — called chimeric antigen receptor cells — are then dripped back into the patient’s veins, and if all goes well they multiply and start destroying the cancer.

The T-cells home in on a protein called CD-19 that is found on the surface of most B-cells, whether they are healthy or malignant.

A sign that the treatment is working is that the patient becomes terribly ill, with raging fevers and chills — a reaction that oncologists call “shake and bake,” Dr. June said. Its medical name is cytokine-release syndrome, or cytokine storm, referring to the natural chemicals that pour out of cells in the immune system as they are being activated, causing fevers and other symptoms. The storm can also flood the lungs and cause perilous drops in blood pressure — effects that nearly killed Emma.

Obviously this isn't going to be a regular fixture in cancer treatment any time soon, and it requires a lot of follow-up treatment and monitoring, but this is still an interesting development.

[Aerozord]

oh yea I heard about this. Makes you wonder if 20 or 30 years from now we will have the ability to use similar techniques to alter our genome.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

This is very interesting. I didn't know a disable AIDs virus could be used in such a way.

[stefan]

Forgive me for invoking the cliche, but isn't this literally the backstory to every "serious" zombie movie in the last 20 years.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Originally Posted by stefan

Forgive me for invoking the cliche, but isn't this literally the backstory to every "serious" zombie movie in the last 20 years.

You crazy, Stefan. Nothing bad could possibly happen from altering Viral Strands to do our bidding and cure stuff.

[Seil]

[Kyanbu The Legend]

lol you guys are so crazy.

[Locke cole]

This sounds like something a bunch of bilogists would come up with while drunk.

"No, man, I g- I got it. We'll use AIDS to cure cancer."
"I love you, man."

[Krylo]

I feel the tagline for this thread is lacking something.

I'd, personally, have gone with, "Scientists Turn Child into Cancer Killing Super Mutant."

[Aldurin]

First impression is that this is a medical application so haphazard that even the TF2 Medic would hesitate.

Though the fact that they pulled it off is pretty awesome.