Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

GM Blood Kills Human Cancer Cells

Posted by timothy on from the so-do-ford-trucks dept.

adri writes "New Scientist has an article which outlines an interesting method of combating cancer: genetically modifying T-cells in human blood to seek and destroy bowel cancer cells."

3 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. The problem is... by Ieshan · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Tweaking white blood cells so that they do their job more effectively would be a far better answer, since they wouldn't attack healthy tissue."

    Right, sure, that sounds very good on paper. The problem is, T cells work by recognizing surface antigens present on certain cells and not on others, or the absence of certain key antigens. I think autoimmune issues will be the *first* to occur - we're teaching someone's T cells how to kill cells in his own body, granted, cells that have been mutated in some way, but still.

    I'm not so sure this will work in vivo as well as it has in vitro. :-\

    1. Re:The problem is... by Ieshan · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, part of the "secret" of how cancer cells slip by immune system responses deals with their mutation from normal, working human cells.

      Cell surface antigens are very complicated, but suffice it to say, they're somewhat unique based on a variety of different factors (a similar analogy: people can't recieve blood from other "types", the "types" being different "types" of a specific surface antigens).

      Since cancer cells arise from mutated cells, there might not be a marked difference in surface antigens on the cells - and that's why the immune system fails to realize the mishap. It's a bit like this: Suppose you were to put one blue marble in a jar of yellow marbles and tell someone to pick it out by the way it "felt" different. T-cells aren't capable of seeing the big picture, they only focus on specific chemical reactions - namely, recognition of foreign bodies through foreign antigens and their destruction.

      AIDS works in a similar way - fooling T cells into "missing" infected cells and virus particles as foreign bodies in the system. My concern is that fooling with T-cells is an awful risk in terms of autoimmune disorder - no matter how fast cancer kills you, autoimmune disorders can do irreparable damage in a relatively short amount of time. I hope the research, when it finally progresses into human trials, is so safe that they don't have to worry about this sort of thing.

  2. I like Geron's teqnique better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Geron is working on a way to target 90% of cancer cells by homing in on there need for the enzyme "telomerase".

    From what I can gather, the enzyme is necessary for splitting the DNA strands to prep for Cell division. Embryos and Cancer cells that are doing this continuously have lots of it. Adult cells do not. So by hunting for this enzyme in Adults you target cancer cells no matter what kind they are.

    I'm not sure if the treatment supresses the enzyme or if an anti-body has been developed wich targets the cells expressing the enzyme.

    I'm guessing that a side effect may be sterility for males since the rapid creation of Sperm cells also involves the enzyme.

    Either way it sounds pretty cool and doesn't involve GM of cells in your body.

    Phase I testing is being done at Duke Universty against Prostate cancer.