Back in April 2019, an , of which many are breakthroughs of their own. In the nine years since the technique was first developed, CRISPR has become a promising tool in curing over 6,000 unique conditions.
The purpose of the US trial was mainly to address how safe the technique was, and its feasibility as a treatment method, and not to find a cure for the cancers themselves. The cancer cells were targets for the modified, CRISPR-enable immune cells to act on, to ensure that the CRISPR-Cas9 system functions – and safely – as a treatment in these patients. In this objective, the trail was a big success.
Gene-editing technology has a variety of potential applications. Image: Getty
All three patients, in their 60s, had stubborn tumors that didn’t respond to any earlier treatments. They were each given a dose of CRISPR-altered versions of their own T cells in April 2019, with minor alterations made to these cells to make them more efficient at recognizing and targetting a specific cancer protein. This CRISPR-enhanced T-cell would then attack the cancer cell, as it would any other infected or irregular cell flagged for the nixing.
The researchers found that these CRISPR-modified cells fit right into each patient’s immune system, still found in their blood nine months later. For a CRISPR-modified immune cell to survive in the body, divide, and last not just days – but nine whole months – is a major milestone in itself. It suggests that CRISPR could potentially offer some defense or protection against major ailments in the medium-term. This is the first known success of its kind in using CRISPR in humans to treat an ailment without any serious side-effects to date.
The results of the trial were published in Science.
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