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    CRISPR Approach To Fighting Cancer Called 'Promising' In 1st Safety Test

    Attempts to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR to develop a treatment for cancer seem safe and feasible in the earliest findings from the first three patients. "So far, so good," scientists say.
    by Rob Stein Nov 06, 2019 3 minutes
    The preliminary results described Wednesday come from two patients with multiple myeloma and one with sarcoma. This was just a first safety test, the scientists say, and was not designed to measure whether such a treatment would work.

    The powerful gene-editing technique known as CRISPR has raised a lot of hope in recent years for its potential to offer new ways to treat many diseases, including cancer. But until now, scientists have released very little information about results of tests in patients.

    On Wednesday, researchers revealed data from the first study involving U.S. cancer patients who received cells genetically modified with CRISPR.

    The highly anticipated results, while quite preliminary, seem to be encouraging, scientists say.

    "This is a very important first step," says , a professor in oncology at the University of Pennsylvania and the study's principal investigator. "We hope this is the beginning of the next generation of engineering cells to help many different diseases and many different tumors."

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