Genetically Engineered T-Cells Help Fight Cancer

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/grupp/

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/08/t-cells/

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36994/title/Tumor-Targeting-T-Cells-Engineered/

Genetically Engineered T-Cells Help Fight Cancer

            On August 11, 2013, an article from Nature Biotechnology was released bearing enthusing news regarding a modern cancer treatment. Cancer, being one of the deadliest diseases threatening humanity today, does not even have a certain known cause. Some forms of cancer have various possible causes, while some forms convey no indications concerning what triggers it. So how can we possibly formulate a cure? Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abrahmson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine have an answer. They’ve discovered a very meaningful use of the already existing artificial T-cell. A T-cell is a small white blood cell produced by the thymus that regulates the immune system’s ability to respond to infected or cancerous cells. Scientists have recently discovered how to assemble these themselves by means of reprogramming stem cells. Combining the T-cells and the ability to modify a patient’s own cells, these researchers discovered the capability to mass-produce an unlimited quantity of cancer-fighting cells that greatly resemble T-cells. Nature Biotechnology supported the claims by conducting a mouse model, or simply, an experiment using rodents as test subjects. The results indicated that the cells could potentially wipe out lymphoid cell tumors entirely.

            The modified cells were soon tested on humans too. David Porter, MD, verified that he saw “at least a 1000-fold increase in the number of modified T-cells in each of the patients.” As a result, “[…] each infused T-cell led to the killing of thousands of tumor cells- and overall, destroyed at least two pounds of tumor in each patient.”
            The blood and bone marrow of one patient in particular was replete with tumor cells before T-cell treatments. After treatment, this 64-year old man showed no signs of his previous leukemia whatsoever, all in less than 30 days.

            The medical procedure is also effective amongst children. It completely eliminated aggressive leukemia in two girls in Philadelphia. Emily Whitehead, age 7, received the treatment as a form of experimental therapy, and it worked. All acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells (ALL), were exterminated by the miraculous cure. The other, a 10-year old, also had complete response to the same treatment.

Unfortunately, despite how remarkably easy and advantageous this sounds, there are several significant drawbacks. One includes the labor and cost. The immunotherapy requires the extraction, processing, and reintroduction of T-cells in each patient’s blood. Additionally, there are circumstances that the T-cells would not even work at all, such as if the patient was suffering from HIV infection. If this was the situation, the patient would have little to no of their own T-cells.

Given these possible setbacks, I believe that the administration of the medical therapy is worth the cost and unpredictability. It has the astonishing ability to completely rid patients of several types of cancer, which could potentially save hundreds of lives. This, overall, makes a positive difference to people worldwide, and can supply people with the hope they need when fighting cancer. Chemotherapy can be uncomfortable and everlasting, and treatment with these medical T-cells are much quicker and more painless.