Blood Cancer Treatment with the help of Gene Therapy:

Current Gene Therapy is a popular, bi-monthly peer-reviewed journal from Bentham Science Publishers. It is an impact factor journal (5.318) indexed in major abstracting agencies, such as Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE/Index Medicus, and Journal Citation Reports etc. Current Gene Therapy publishes major topics concerning basic and clinical applications of gene and cell therapy.

The advances in the studies of Hematology (the study of blood) have shown that many diseases can be cured by making changes in the genetic coding. One of the disease is Hematological malignancy. It is the term given to a class of cancers that attack and affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. Often, the patients suffering from Leukemia, Lymphomas and Myelomas do not find a lasting cure for their ailment and do not survive the illness.

New developments in the research are showing promising results. They have indicated that that gene therapy can actually prove to bring unprecedented progress to the treatment of blood cancers. For instance, researchers are much more optimistic that using gene therapy, the blood cells can actually be used as attack cells against the cancer. The experiments so far have given promising results, and patients show no signs of cancer after the treatment. This is true even for serious patients who were suffering from acute lymphocytic leukemia, myeloma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and were taking chemotherapies for years.

The doctors separate the white blood cells from the blood stream of the patient, in bulk quantities. The blood sample is then taken to a laboratory to infuse the special gene, which targets cancer, in the blood. When the process is complete, the blood carrying the special gene is transferred into the patient’s circulation. This procedure ensures that the treatment of cancer is successful, a less risky and more productive method than chemos, stem cell or bone marrow transplants.

[This news is based on the article by Marilynn Marchione, ‘Gene Therapy Scores Big Wins against Blood Cancers’]