US Doctors Plan To Treat Cancer Patients Using CRISPR (technologyreview.com)

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US Doctors Plan To Treat Cancer Patients Using CRISPR (technologyreview.com)

Posted by msmash on Thursday January 18, 2018 @02:09AM from the next-up dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: The first human test in the U.S. involving the gene-editing tool CRISPR could begin at any time and will employ the DNA cutting technique in a bid to battle deadly cancers. Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania say they will use CRISPR to modify human immune cells so that they become expert cancer killers, according to plans posted this week to a directory of ongoing clinical trials. The study will enroll up to 18 patients fighting three different types of cancer -- multiple myeloma, sarcoma, and melanoma -- in what could become the first medical use of CRISPR outside China, where similar studies have been under way. An advisory group to the National Institutes of Health initially gave a green light to the Penn researchers in June 2016, but until now it was not known whether the trial would proceed.

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Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:15 · Score: -1, Flamebait

You mean China is ahead of us in medical research?
I guess that's par for the course since we live in a country controlled by anti-science Bible thumping morons.
1. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by BlueStrat · 2018-01-18 02:26 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  You mean China is ahead of us in medical research?
  I guess that's par for the course since we live in a country controlled by anti-science Bible thumping morons.
  Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with researchers in China not having any inconvenient laws and regulations against doing medical testing on prisoners, criminals, requiring years of testing before human trials would be allowed, etc etc.
  It's nice though that you got to air your religious bigotry in the public square, and so brave doing it as AC, too.
  Strat
  
  --
  Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
2. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:30 · Score: -1
  
  To be honest he is right tho - religion has screwed us in many sciences (remember embryonic stem cell science, sex education). The religion of law makers normally overrides any rational policy making
3. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:32 · Score: 0
  
  Obvious troll is obvious.
  Note to other users: Please don't feed the trolls.
4. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:42 · Score: 0
  
  As far as embryonic stem cell science goes, I thought this pushed US science toward converting somatic cells into stem cells, which ultimately would be more useful as you are using a person's OWN body, thus preventing rejection.
  https://futurism.com/rapidly-manufacture-stem-cells-fda-approved/
5. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:54 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  There was not a ban on embryonic stem cell research, just on harvesting new strains while getting federal grants.
  That ban was an attempt to reduce the profit motive of facilities encouraging abortions.
6. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by BlueStrat · 2018-01-18 02:55 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  To be honest he is right tho - having moral and ethical standards and a conscience has screwed us in many sciences (remember embryonic stem cell science, sex education).
  FTFY
  Science without a moral framework and ethical standards gets you Dr. Mengele's, the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male", etc etc etc.
  Not all is up for sacrifice at the altar of Science!(TM).
  Strat
  
  --
  Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
7. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by kinocho · 2018-01-18 02:59 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Agreed, but there is a middle point between Dr. Mengele and "God will punish you, dirty sinners!". And for now, God is winning.
8. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:59 · Score: 0
  
  Only appy trolling apps can cure cancer, not Luddite gene-editing tools.
  Apps!
9. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:01 · Score: -1, Troll
  
  My god. False equivalence much. Using some Nazi madman's "research" as a reason to block scientific research that could benefit millions. Enjoy your rat-infested third-world 'shithole'
10. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:10 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  You are absolutely right that there should be a moral, ethical framework. That framework doesnâ(TM)t need to come from religion.
11. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:20 · Score: 0
  
  Where should it come from then? Government is great at defining what is legal. It tends to do a shit job at defining what's right. And ethics is all about what is right, not what is legal. Philosophy tends to jump in to the world of trying to define what is right quite often. Of course, at least within the catholic church, most priests have degrees is philosophy.
  Queue the bigot pointing out that some priests have acted immorally and unethically with a healthy helping of illegally as if it's somehow relevant to religion tending to try to define what is ethical and moral.
12. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:23 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  Fucking Christians.
  People can have morals and ethics without religion. You understand that, right?
  If you believe your religion is the only reason you're not a bad person, you're a deranged individual.
  Birth control and stem cell research is not a moral or ethical thing. They benefit the whole of society. Period. Only a bible wielding, mouth breathing moron would argue against it.
13. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:28 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  Cue the realist who points out all the wars started in the name of religion.. PROTIP: religion is not about morality. I'ts about controlling peoples minds fro the convenience of the few.
14. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:30 · Score: 1
  
  I was always taught to follow the golden rule (treat others how you would want to be treated/do unto others as you would have done unto you).
  The moral, ethical framework should exist to create a civil society and to try and reduce suffering. The government can make a criminal law (murder is illegal which we all agree with) some things are more fuzzy (civil and administrative law) if they are moral or not. That's where rationality and science can be a tie breaker
15. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by cascadingstylesheet · 2018-01-18 04:28 · Score: 1
  
  Mengele would be the new Kevorkian today.
  Modern US culture would have no problem with him, as long as he had fair racial distributions among his victims.
16. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Firethorn · 2018-01-18 04:30 · Score: 1
  
  of course, they conventiently ignored the fact that most embryonic stem cells came from fertility clinics doing IVF(in vitro fertilization) rather than cellular tissue from abortions.
  Abortion materials, if I remember right, are more used in medical treatments than research.
  
  --
  I don't read AC A human right
17. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 04:33 · Score: 0
  
  Nothing to see here. This is going to as planned. I for one welcome our Tai Yong Medical overlords.
18. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 05:14 · Score: 0
  
  Fucking Christians.
  Actually, many Christians are for research, however, the problem you find is that the "holy than thou" religious (includes pretty well all faiths and not just Christianity) especially if they are in power and against science unless it agrees with their book of fairy tales.
  
  People can have morals and ethics without religion. You understand that right?
  Too bad most "holy than thou" religious don't or better still don't want to understand.
  
  If you believe your religion is the only reason you're not a bad person, you're a deranged individual.
  Could not agree more.
  
  Birth control and stem cell research is not a moral or ethical thing. They benefit the whole of society. Period. Only a bible wielding, mouth breathing moron would argue against it.
  You are being too nice.
19. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by corychristison · 2018-01-18 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, many Christians are for research, however, the problem you find is that the "holy than thou" religious (includes pretty well all faiths and not just Christianity) especially if they are in power and against science unless it agrees with their book of fairy tales.
  In my experience, and perhaps it's because they're the majority where I live, Christian's (and Catholics, depending on your views they are the same, I see them as the same) are much more in your face about their religion and their views than any other religion.
  I've worked with people with all sorts of religious views (including muslim/islam, hindu, jewish, sikh, etc) and found they are pretty respectful of other people's views. While they will raise their concerns, they are very non-confrontational about it because they understand respect.
  I, myself, identify as atheist, if I had to put a label on it. Really I just feel like we're wasting time squabbling over something we can't prove, so why bother? I also subscribe to the "don't be a dick" ideology.
  Just my opinion and experiences. Everyone's lives are different. Maybe I'm just lucky.
20. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 06:13 · Score: 0
  
  There is some research work which was done so horrifically, that it benefited people. The German researchers dumping covering parts of people's bodies, dumping them in sub-freezing water to watch the results. This found that the back of the neck is where the body reads temperature, which allowed both the US and Russia to design jackets for pilots to survive sub-freezing ditches in water.
  Does it justify it? No. but sometimes the results may be worth using.
21. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 06:20 · Score: 0
  
  any citations?
22. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by fahrbot-bot · 2018-01-18 07:03 · Score: 1
  
  Science without a moral framework and ethical standards gets you Dr. Mengele's, the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male", etc etc etc.
  That can easily be generalized:
  [_______________] without a moral framework and ethical standards gets you [_______________].
  Example: Business and/or Politics ... Trump.
  
  --
  It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
23. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 07:29 · Score: 0
  
  Religion deserves no respect. Suck it
24. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by ohnocitizen · 2018-01-18 08:50 · Score: 1
  
  Pointing out that religious objections to stem cell research, higher education, and a general attitude of anti-intellectualism is not bigotry. It's fact. A moron is by definition a stupid person. It is not intelligent to oppose scientific research, education, and critical thinking skills.
  
  Your being correct about China doesn't support your claim of religious bigotry.
25. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 09:09 · Score: 0
  
  Your ideology is making you dumber. And that's fine, just ease keep it to yourself.
26. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by BlueStrat · 2018-01-18 10:40 · Score: 1
  
  Pointing out that religious objections to stem cell research, higher education, and a general attitude of anti-intellectualism is not bigotry. It's fact.
  No, it's broad and bigoted generalization. Same as saying all atheists are amoral sociopaths that want an authoritarian dictatorship. There are no groups without bad people in them.
  Strat
  
  --
  Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
27. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by ohnocitizen · 2018-01-18 12:01 · Score: 1
  
  OP isn't saying ALL Christians are anti-science. Simply that the country is controlled by Christians who are anti-science. So no, it's not a broad generalization.
  
  Regardless, the claim "all atheists are moral sociopaths" doesn't come out of atheist scripture - there isn't any. It's simply acknowledging there isn't sufficient evidence to believe in god. Nothing more. Bringing in morality or an even more obvious red herring like authoritarian dictatorship (as opposed to gentle dictatorship?) weakens your credibility.
  
  Christians who behave badly because they are bad don't earn criticism. But those who enact regressive policy and claim their religion is the basis for this (with scripture to back them up in some cases), earn criticism. So you're really off base with your "everybody does it" counterargument.
  
  Your signature suggests you are a conservative. If it upsets you that the "brand" of the modern conservative is that of people like Roy Moore - outspoken Christians who want to attack the rights of gay people, women, and use their Christianity as justification - then fight back. If you agree with them, then prepare to get a lot more upset about people calling that entire culture out on it's bullshit. We have people trying to implement a Christian Sharia in the US, a theocracy, and that stains the religion and the political party propping it all up. The more they try to push, the more there will be push back. Blue states are getting tired of having our economy hurt, our people hurt, all the pay for the states trying to drag us back to the dark ages.
28. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by BlueStrat · 2018-01-18 15:06 · Score: 1
  
  Your signature suggests you are a conservative. I
  Probably even worse in your eyes; I'm a pragmatic small-"L" libertarian and am rather 'constructionist' in my view of the US Constitution.
  
  Simply that the country is controlled by Christians who are anti-science.
  And I would dispute both that the US is controlled by Christians in this day and age, and that they are "anti-science" on the whole. Unless of course you mean that believing in a supreme being is itself anti-science, but that is an entirely different discussion.
  Strat
  
  --
  Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
29. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 15:34 · Score: 0
  
  Fucking Christians.
  Excuse me? I'm an atheist and even I think that's bigoted as fuck. I can at least acknowledge both modern and historical facts and truths.
  Christians aren't the ones with no-go zones and effective Sharia law in many parts of the EU & UK. Christians are not performing honor killings, or raping your women. Christians aren't killing LGBQ and treating women as chattel and engaging in human slavery and pederasty as a matter of course.
  Christians just happened to build the freest, most open and tolerant societies that ever existed. The West would not be the home of the freedoms and values most here share and enjoy without Christianity.
  In conclusion, may I strongly suggest you kindly fuck off, you ignorant bigot.
30. Re:Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-22 02:09 · Score: 0
  
  You mean China is ahead of us in medical research?
  I guess that's par for the course since we live in a country controlled by anti-science Bible thumping morons.
  Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with researchers in China not having any inconvenient laws and regulations against doing medical testing on prisoners, criminals, requiring years of testing before human trials would be allowed, etc etc.
  It's nice though that you got to air your religious bigotry in the public square, and so brave doing it as AC, too.
  Strat
  Death to America.
31. Re: Wait wait wait CHINA?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-26 21:48 · Score: 0
  
  Just like Iraq had wmd, Mexicans are rapists, Indians steal our jobs.
  An average American has a very narrow minded understanding of rest of the world.
Obligatory by Scarred+Intellect · 2018-01-18 02:23 · Score: 4, Funny

XKCD
1. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:51 · Score: 0
  
  fuck off...
Autoimmune diseases by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:30 · Score: 1

Could this also lead to autoimmune diseases, since the immune system is being enhanced to more effectively target the body's own cells. While it's true that the immune system does target cancer cells, this seems like something that could lead to side effects.
1. Re:Autoimmune diseases by kelemvor4 · 2018-01-18 02:35 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Could this also lead to autoimmune diseases, since the immune system is being enhanced to more effectively target the body's own cells. While it's true that the immune system does target cancer cells, this seems like something that could lead to side effects.
  I would hazard a guess that these folks are almost certainly going to die from the cancer anyway... Sometimes, you take any risk you can.
2. Re:Autoimmune diseases by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  Every treatment has potential side effects, this is a safety arm study so yeah there could be poor outcomes. It will be refined over time. The cancer is probably very advanced in these patients so the risk is worth it.
3. Re:Autoimmune diseases by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:53 · Score: 0
  
  They may be able to program these antibodies to die after a certain amount of time so their system returns to normal..
4. Re:Autoimmune diseases by b0s0z0ku · 2018-01-18 04:24 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  It could. But the idea is to look at the cancer cells and the proteins they express. Find what they express that's DIFFERENT than normal cells, then go after that.
  Problems are less autoimmunity, more getting all of the cancer and hitting a moving target. Cancer cells don't die naturally in response to mutations, and their replication machinery is somewhat screwed up, making them more prone to mutations. Tumors aren't composed of a single cell type, but many different mutant types, which might express different proteins. Additionally, since they mutate, a cell might express a protein today, but its progeny tomorrow may not.
  For another poster -- antibodies don't die. Antibodies aren't living -- they're protein structures designed to "tag" foreign and damaged cells. They're produced by B-cells, which are living organisms.
  Source: basic biochem...
What happened to "whatcouldpossiblygowrong?" by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 02:44 · Score: 0

Seriously, I guess that tag got applied to so many things that they banned it, even when apropos and in this case it's apropos for sure.
Although I have faith that doctors and institutions have the safety of the population in mind (haha, profit!). What could possibly go wrong?
1. Re:What happened to "whatcouldpossiblygowrong?" by lq_x_pl · 2018-01-18 03:34 · Score: 1
  
  This is a serious consideration! A family member of mine has several chronic medical conditions, and my confidence in the medical community's ability to pay attention to details plummets with every interaction. We're talking about giving doctors, who can't anticipate the interaction of several medications, access to gene therapy? Whatcouldpossiblygowrong, indeed!
  
  --
  An internal system operation returned the error "The operation completed successfully.".
2. Re:What happened to "whatcouldpossiblygowrong?" by satsuke · 2018-01-18 03:47 · Score: 2
  
  That's why they are doing very small scale trials .. 14 patients, typically on people with short life expectancy and/or that have not responded to more common protocols.
  No one can really address all of the potential interactions, hence the need to do trials.
That's how you start a zombi apocalypse! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:11 · Score: 0

Based on thousands well informed Hollywood insiders, that's how you start a zombi apocalypse!
Hype by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 03:11 · Score: 0

Lots of hype.
No science.
Only for the wealthy.
Fuck the rest of you .. too expensive .. doesn't work // bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit
1. Re:Hype by EndlessNameless · 2018-01-18 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  Lots of hype.
  No science.
  Wrong.
  Researchers have done work in turning the immune system against cancer, and it is remarkably effective. The FDA has approved two CAR-T therapies to date.
  CRISPR is just an easier means of tinkering with cellular DNA. This makes it likely that we can develop more effective treatments for more types of cancer.
  
  --
  
  ---
  According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
2. Re:Hype by b0s0z0ku · 2018-01-18 04:29 · Score: 1
  
  CRISPR is also CHEAP. The expensive part is figuring out how to use CRISPR effectively. You have to:
  (1) speak for all of the cancer cells and their mutated variants
  (2) avoid autoimmune reactions -- i.e. only go after stuff that cancer cells make and normal cells don't
  Once this happens, cancer treatments will actually become less expensive than now and not require toxic chemo or radiation. Problem with current chemo or radiation is that they go after cells indiscriminately. They're more LIKELY to kill cancer cells, but they'll kill any fast-dividing cells as well (see also: hair, skin surface, inside of GI tract).
3. Re:Hype by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 11:37 · Score: 0
  
  And amyloid plaques! And arterial plaques! these could change the world
wut ?! religion != control for some of us by gDLL · 2018-01-18 04:46 · Score: 0

If you equate religion == power/control then indeed every election and war is about religion. If you don't, then ww1/ww2/chinese-revolution were not about about religion.
Sounds Familiar by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 05:30 · Score: 0

I'm pretty sure this is the premise to many o Zombie flicks.
this will work by Anonymous Coward · 2018-01-18 06:02 · Score: 0

this will change the world. this is the year we beat cancer.
Religion, an intellectual virus by TiggertheMad · 2018-01-18 07:03 · Score: 1

Fucking Christians.

The problem isn't Christians, it is ANY religious group that can't keep it's fucking beliefs to itself. If you want to believe in flying invisible sky bullies, fine, I am glad it makes you happy and gives you purpose. Just stop trying to push your morale agenda on others. If your made up bullshit worldview isn't compelling enough that people actively seek you out and ask you to share it (you know, like Science...), then it probably isn't worth trying to force on others.

--

HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Hmmm I saw this movie by nehumanuscrede · 2018-01-18 08:41 · Score: 1

Believe the title was " I am Legend "
Short version was they genetically engineered the measles virus to cure cancer.
It didn't quite go to plan.
Sounds great but don't hold your breath by Rick+Schumann · 2018-01-18 09:57 · Score: 1

This sounds like an awesome way to use CRISPR technology, and synergistically it'll probably help advance the further development of CRISPR, so I applaud the idea -- but don't hold your breath waiting for it, there'll have to be quite a bit of extensive testing done to ensure we don't create more problems with this than we solve; don't need to be creating genetic diseases in people trying to cure their cancer.