Gene Therapy for Cancer Patients

Annie Syed- Cocktail Chatter

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/30/health/fda-first-gene-therapy-leukemia/index.html

how gene therapy works

The FDA has approved the first ever gene therapy treatment for patients with B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, most commonly found in children and teenagers. The treatment works by injecting patients with their own genetically modified immune cells with a virus that targets the source of the cancer. Current results show that 70% of the patients who undergo this treatment survive for over a year.  Patients with this cancer have a very low prognosis if they relapse, which makes gene therapy a second chance for families who thought there was no other option.