Possible Cure of leukemia with Gene Therapy

Scientists have found the first understandable success with gene therapy to treat an advanced form of tough-to-treat leukemia. Study involved a small group of patients, who have advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). According to researchers, patients get benefited with genetically engineered versions of their own T cells, a radical new form of immune therapy that destroy cancer cells. The efficiency of the genetically engineered cells was great and researchers called them "serial killers" because each cell led on to the annihilation of thousands of tumor cells averagely.

T cells, a form of white blood cells that used in the treatment were harvested from every patient involved in the study. For transferring special molecules to the T cells, a manmade virus-like vector was used. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B lymphocytes get converted into the cancerous cell so T cells attack on these B lymphocytes. As the success of treatment came in a pilot study, later studies will determine the right dose to use as well as the safety of the treatment. The findings about the possible cure of leukemia with gene therapy were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and also in Science Translational Medicine.