Researchers Lever Immune System in Attack on Blood Cancers
Fascinating article in the New York Times on the efforts of Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute, to leverage the body’s immune system to fight cancer. According to the piece, versions of the so-called cell therapy, in which a patient’s T-cells are custom engineered to attack cancer, are now in the approval process and may be available in 2017. The T-cells undergo genetic engineering to cause them to recognize and attack cancer cells. The treatment has been effective in blood cancers, but not in other cancers, and there have been lethal side effects. Some patients, however, have experienced complete remission, indicating the promise of this approach. Please see the original article.
