CRISPR gene editing human trials in China and US offer hope for countless lives

Gene editing trial for lung cancer A patients lung being examined e

In 2015, a little girl called Layla was treated with gene-edited immune cells that eliminated all signs of the leukemia that was killing her. Layla’s treatment was a one-off, but by the end of 2017, the technique could have saved dozens of lives.

It took many years to develop the gene-editing tool that saved Layla, but thanks to a revolutionary method known as CRISPR, this can now be done in just weeks.

In fact, CRISPR works so well that the first human trial involving the method has already begun. In China, it is being used to disable a gene called PD-1 in immune cells taken from individuals with cancer. The edited cells are then injected back into each person’s body.

A trial in the US due to start soon is far more ambitious. This involves adding an extra gene engineered to make the immune cells target tumours and then using CRISPR to disable PD-1 and two other genes…The hope is that combining the two techniques will make treatments far more effective.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Gene editing starts to save lives as human trials get under way

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