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How Does the New 'Gene-Altering' Therapy Fight Cancer?
By Sara G. Miller, Staff Writer | July 14, 2017 06:15pm ET
A new type of cancer treatment that involves altering a person's genes — and could save children's lives — passed a major hurdle this week, when a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel recommended that the agency approve the therapy, The New York Times reported. But how does the treatment work?
The treatment is for an uncommon type of leukemia, called B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, that affects mainly children and young adults, according to the Times. The success rate of the treatment that was seen in a recent clinical trial was "astonishing," said Lee Greenberger, chief scientific officer of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Greenberger was not involved directly in the research of the new therapy, but the LLS has contributed significant funding toward the work.
Leukemia is cancer of white blood cells, and it starts in the bone marrow, the soft material found in the center of bones that produces blood cells. [11 Surprising Facts About the Immune System]
More:
https://www.livescience.com/59811-gene-altering-therapy-cancer.html?utm_source=notification