Scientists managed to cure the cancer of two patients for the first time with the use of an innovative therapy with CAR-T cells (acronym in English for chimeric antigen receptor), which involves the reprogramming of the patient’s own defense cells. In an article published in Nature, the situation is pointed out as an “official” cure after patients had spent ten years without the disease returning.
The therapy is based on T cells, which work in the body to recognize and destroy foreign cells, including cancer cells. Because cancer is very good at evading immune detection, our immune system often misses the mark, so CAR-T cells are designed to make them better at detecting cancer cells.
Study participants suffered from chronic lymphocytic leukemia when they received this therapy in 2010. Currently, all signs and symptoms of leukemia have disappeared. When the researchers examined the patients’ blood, they were still able to identify CAR-T cells in their perfect ability to proliferate and kill cancer cells.
Want to stay on top of the best tech news of the day? Access and subscribe to our new youtube channel, Kenyannews News. Every day a summary of the main news from the tech world for you!
Although the researchers celebrate, it was not clear whether all the cancer cells disappeared in a short time of treatment or if they continue, but are killed by CAR-T soon after.
“We don’t use words like ‘cure’ very often, but now we have patients who have not relapsed, and we really believe that we can start using the word ‘cure,’” of Pennsylvania (USA). The discovery is considered, by experts, as a milestone in history.
