Cloning immune cells to treat cancer

US scientists claim to have successfully treated a case of end-stage skin cancer by duplicating the patient's own immune cells in the laboratory, then returning them to the body.

In the New England Journal of Medicine, US scientists say they have taken away the patient's cancer-fighting immune cells, creating 5 billion copies of them, then returning them to muscle. patient. After two years of treatment, melanoma still did not reappear on the 52-year-old man.

The body's immune system plays a very important role in the fight against cancer. Doctors have long been studying to find ways to activate the tumor's killing reaction.

Back in the case of the 52-year-old male patient, his skin cancer had spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.

Melanoma on the skin.(Photo: BBC)

Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (Washington, USA) focused on studying a type of white blood cell called CD4 + T. This type of cell is characterized by specialized attack. a type of chemical on the surface of melanocytes.

From a sample of the patient's lymphocytes, they chose to take CD4 + T cells, then replicate them billions of times in the laboratory and return them to the patient's body to attack the tumors. In the next two months, X-rays showed the tumors had disappeared; after two years, the patient is completely cured.

Remarkably, the scientists found that the inserted cloned cells remained in the patient's body for months after treatment.

While claiming that this is the first time this cancer treatment has been done in the world, the authors also point out that their technology is only applicable to patients with immune system forms. as well as certain types of tumors. In addition, this treatment method only responds to a small percentage of skin cancer patients in later stages.

Although this technology is too complex and difficult to apply to everyone, the principle of immune cells can be duplicated outside the body, then brought back to cure has had a big effect. Great cheerleaders worldwide.