New cancer therapy: DNA change heals sick girl
Created: 12/16/2022, 8:30 p.m
By: Anna Katharina Kusters
A team of doctors from England was able to cure a 13-year-old of her severe leukemia.
The reason is a new form of cancer therapy.
The 13-year-old Alyssa from Leicester was considered seriously ill and actually no longer curable.
She had leukemia and neither a bone marrow transplant nor chemotherapy worked for the girl.
At this point, the doctors decided to treat Alyssa with a completely new cancer therapy: the so-called base editing should save the girl's life.
New cancer therapy: DNA change heals sick girl
New cancer therapy can save leukemia patients.
(Iconic image) © Mikel Allica/Imago
Base editing allows doctors to modify individual parts of the DNA in a way that fights the cancer in the body and cures the patient.
Scientists only discovered this method six years ago.
Alyssa used it for the first time.
Alyssa suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
As a result, a certain type of white blood cell (T cell) worked against her body instead of protecting it.
The base editing method should now modify these T cells in such a way that they no longer harm the young girl.
New cancer therapy: How the base editing method works
Broken down, doctors use the base editing method to intervene in the DNA.
There they modify a certain part and bring about the healing of the patient.
In individual steps, the whole thing works like this:
1. A donor provides healthy T cells.
The doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London change these T cells so that they no longer attack Alyssa's body.
2. Somewhat elusive, but important for the later course: the doctors remove the so-called chemical marker CD7 from these T cells.
3. The doctors also provide the T cells with special protection so that the chemotherapeutic agent can no longer harm them.
4. Processed in this way, the T cells must undergo one final modification: Doctors alter them to destroy any T cells that still have the CD7 tag they removed above.
The final step causes the modified T cells to attack the diseased T cells.
However, the healthy T-cells also have to face this attack because they still have the CD7 marker.
This resulted in Alyssa's immune system being extremely weak during this time.
But the method worked and the girl gradually got better.
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After several weeks of complete isolation in the hospital, Alyssa received another bone marrow transplant.
She should rebuild her immune system.
And then Alyssa and her parents had it in black and white: After a check-up, the girl was considered cured!
Although the doctors were still able to discover signs of cancer, they classified them as not worrisome.
Above all, Alyssa is looking forward to going back to school and finally being able to ride her bike around the area again.
The base editing method has given it a new life!
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
