‘Serial killer’ cells wipe out leukaemia
Scientists claim to have developed “serial killer” cells that can wipe out leukaemia within three weeks, a breakthrough they say could lead to new and effective treatments for the fatal blood cancer.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abr-amson Cancer Centre in the US engineered a technique that involved leukaemia patients being treated with their own T-cells — a type of white blood cell — that have been genetically modified to attack and destroy tumours within their bodies. The treatment, according to the researchers, was so powerful that tumours were “blown away” in under a month with few side effects, the Daily Mail reported. After removing the patient’s T-cells, the researchers reprogrammed them to attack tumours by binding to a protein expressed by cancerous cells. In most forms of cancer these crucial cells are unable to distinguish tumour cells from healthy tissue, which allows the cancer to spread unchecked.
But they managed to reprogramme them to attack tumour cells by inserting a “secret ingredient”, a protein called a chimeric antigen receptor. When this protein is on the surface of the T-cells, it will bind with another protein, called CD19, which is found in leukaemia cells.
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Alba to keep her kids away from showbiz
London: Actress Jessica Alba, who is expecting a second child with husband Cash Warren, says she does not want her children to become child stars in Hollywood. The actress said she will ban her daughter Honor Marie, 3, and future children from pursuing an acting career until after they have completed college. She said it is difficult to combine a Hollywood career with family life. —PTI
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