Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New, Faster Method Of Gene Editing Allows Scientists To Turn T Cells Into 'Living Cancer Drugs'
The New York Times: Swift Gene-Editing Method May Revolutionize Treatments For Cancer And Infectious Diseases
For the first time, scientists have found a way to efficiently and precisely remove genes from white blood cells of the immune system and to insert beneficial replacements, all in far less time than it normally takes to edit genes. If the technique can be replicated in other labs, experts said, it may open up profound new possibilities for treating an array of diseases, including cancer, infections like H.I.V. and autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. (Kolata, 7/11)
The Washington Post: With New Genes And An Electric Shock, Scientists Turn Immune Cells Against Cancer
A promising new class of cancer treatments recruits the cells in our blood to fight tumors, using powerful gene-editing tools to transform a type of white blood cell — called a T cell — from an immune cell that normally targets bacterial or fungal infections into a living cancer drug. The genetic alterations could boost immune systems to successfully fight cancers on their own. Researchers remove T cells from patients and slip new genes into the cells. After clinicians return the modified T cells to patients, the cells, like microscopic bloodhounds, lead the immune system on the hunt for tumors. (Guarino, 7/11)
Stat: CRISPR Makes Cancer Cells Turncoats That Attack Tumor, Mouse Study Finds
As an idea for wiping out cancer, it could have been ripped from the pages of a spy thriller: Take cancer cells that have departed the original tumor and spread elsewhere in the body, genome-edit them to be stone-cold killers, then wait for the homesick cells to return and make like émigré assassins. In a study four years in the making, scientists reported on Wednesday that “rehoming” cells that had been CRISPR’d to attack cells in the original tumor improved survival in lab mice with brain cancer, as well as in mice with breast cancer that spread to the brain. (Begley, 7/11)
