Could CRISPR kill cancer cells?
GENE TECHNOLOG Yes it could: indeed DNA editing using CRISPR-Cas9 ‘gene scissors’ is already used in cancer treatment. But the most promising editing is not aimed directly at cancer cells, instead employing immune therapy to improve the body’s own defences.
Scientists extract white blood cells known as T lymphocytes from patients with incurable cancer that cannot be removed by surgery and does not react to ordinary treatment such as chemotherapy. The DNA of these cells is edited using CRISPR-Cas9 so that they stand a better chance of finding and combating the cancer. The upgraded cells are then inserted into the body. The scientists expect that this method will be efficient against human blood cancer, leukaemia, and lymph node cancer.
Chinese scientists began to experiment with the method in 2016, but its effects have not yet been fully documented. Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania entered the game in 2019, and earlier this year, their experiments completed phase 1, in which scientists focus on the safety of the treatment, such as ensuring that it does not have any negative effects. This was completed by the American scientists in February 2020, and they are now ready to continue.
