CRISPR, the gene-editing tool, has been used to enhance the blood cells of two cancer patients to attack their cancer for the first time in the United States.
The experimental research, under way at the University of Pennsylvania, involves genetically altering a person's T cells so that they attack and destroy cancer. A university spokesman confirmed it has treated the first patients, one with sarcoma and one with multiple myeloma.
This isn't the first such use of CRISPR however, just the first in the U.S.
Chinese hospitals, meanwhile, have launched a score of similar efforts. Carl June, the famed University of Pennsylvania cancer doctor, has compared the Chinese lead in employing CRISPR to a genetic Sputnik.
More such studies are in progress and on the way
This year, for example, a patient in Europe became the first person to be treated with CRISPR for an inherited disease, beta thalassemia.
Sufferers of beta thalassemia have a defective gene responsible for the production of red blood cells, which leaves them dependent on transfusions. In that trial, a second copy of the gene that is normally deactivated at birth will be reactivated. It is theorized that this could result in an effective cure of the condition.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 18 2019, @03:11AM
Dark Angel is an American cyberpunk television series. Set in 2019, the series chronicles the life of Max Guevara, a genetically enhanced super-soldier who escapes from a covert military facility as a child.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday April 18 2019, @09:27AM (1 child)
The only side effect reported so far is an insatiable hunger for human brains.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Thursday April 18 2019, @11:47AM
Another recent one is elongated incisors. The extra bone used to elongate apparently migrates from the center of the tooth leaving a sort of hollow tube running its length which exits into the mouth cavity.
It is speculated that this could be used to efficiently extract juices from soft fruits.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 5, Interesting) by opinionated_science on Thursday April 18 2019, @11:24AM
beta thalassaemia is not a mono-allelic disease.
Human haemoglobin is a quartenary structure (alpha-globin , beta-globin form a single subunit), using the gene-products of 4 proteins for a single haem molecule.
The class of thalassaemia diseases are some form of truncation of the beta-globin- gene, yielding an unstable haemoglobin structure.
If there is a single allele mutation (e.g. wild-type B* vs B-), possible structures are:
A*B*+A*B- (25%) , A*B-+A*B- (25%) , A*B*+A*B* (50%)
If there is a double allele mutation possible structures are:
A*B-+A*B- (100%) leading to greatly misformed red blood cells (One of the Alpha-globin variants is called "Sickle Cell" anemia).
The gene they are trying to reactivate in Europe, is in fact HbF , the fetal haemoglobin.
Just thought I'd add some detail to explain some basics, since that article glossed over it.