Australian fetuses could become alcoholics and drug addicts before they even leave the womb, new research shows.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of NSW reveals that genetics and family history can increase the risk of young Australians developing addictions.

NDARC director Professor Michael Farrell at a speech to be delivered on Tuesday night will say that the research helps to determine which genetic and social factors lead to drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mental health problems later in life.

'While we need to recognise there are varying degrees of mental ill health and that it's a complex issue, research confirms that early detection of certain contributing factors is possible,' Dr Farrell said in a statement.

'With the growing trend for buying drugs online and using synthetic drugs or legal highs' among young Australians, now is the time to focus on these solutions.'

The UNSW Medicine Dean's Lecture will address a range of issues affecting young people, including the self-harm epidemic, the effects of adolescent exposure to drugs and alcohol on the wider community and how early intervention might save them, as well as offering preventative solutions for mental illness and risky behaviours.

One in two young Australians suffer from mental illness, said Pat McGorry, Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.

He said studies indicated that mental illness experienced in their childhood can impact people's jobs and social lives well into their 30s, including having a lower earning capacity and fewer friends.

Mental health costs the Australian economy $7 billion a year, a figure that is set to double over the next 20 years.

The issue doesn't discriminate and can affect any household, said Professor McGorry.

Go here to see the original:
Genetics key to addicted children

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

A bearish trade dominates today's option activity in Seattle Genetics. Total option volume in SGEN is 9,085 contracts so far, compared to a daily average of just 572 in the last month. Virtually all of the volume is in one three-way put combination.

optionMONSTER systems show that a trader bought 3,000 September 25 puts for the ask price of $1.60 and, seconds later, sold 3,000 September 20 puts for $0.45 to create a vertical spread . He or she then sold 1,800 September 35 calls for $1.20 and another 1,200 for $1.25. The volume at all three strikes was multiples of the open interest, so this is a new position.

The bearish strategy will take a maximum profit if SGEN is at or below $25 at expiration, while the trader risks having to sell shares above $35. This could also be a collar to protect long shares, at least down to that lower strike. (See our Education section)

SGEN is down 2.24 percent to $29.62 this morning, its lowest level since early March. Shares of the biopharmaceutical company were up to $39 toward the end of April but have been trending lower since retesting that level in mid-May.

More From optionMONSTER

Read this article:
Bearish 3-way bet in Seattle Genetics

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Good Start Genetics, Inc.,an innovative molecular diagnostics company harnessing a powerful, proprietary next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) capability, announced today that it has received a clinical laboratory permit from the New York State Department of Health to provide its GoodStart Select carrier screening tests to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive health practitioners in the state. GoodStart Select, the companys menu of carrier screening tests, detects far more disease-causing mutations than any other carrier screening test routinely used in clinical practice. With this license, Good Start becomes the first laboratory to offer extensively validated NGS-based carrier screening in New York, where nearly 25 percent of all reproductive health carrier screening is performed each year.

Couples planning to conceive want to make sure they have the healthiest pregnancy possible, said David L. Keefe, M.D., Stanley H. Kaplan Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Good Start's approach to pre-conceptual genetic testing draws on the latest technology developed from the Human Genome Project and delivers remarkable accuracy and sensitivity in the detection of genetic conditions that might afflict their baby.

We congratulate Good Start on being awarded its New York state license and look forward to offering the next generation of genetic testing to our patients, adds Alan Copperman M.D., co-director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and long-standing adviser to Good Start Genetics.

GoodStart Select was launched in the U.S. in April 2012. Since then, Good Start Genetics high-complexity, CLIA- and CAP-accredited laboratory has processed well over 100,000 tests, detecting both common disease-causing mutations as well as rare, pathogenic mutations that would have otherwise gone undetected by laboratories using traditional genotyping-based technologies. Last week, Good Start Genetics published its comprehensive validation study in Genomics in Medicine.

In addition, Good Starts tests are clinically validated to detect genetic mutations specific to individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish or Eastern European descent. Nearly one in three Ashkenazi Jews in the U.S. is a carrier of at least one of 19 severe inherited diseases, and one-third of the U.S. Jewish population, the vast majority of which are Ashkenazi, resides in the state of New York.

Obtaining the New York state license is an important achievement for Good Start, and were very proud our operation has passed the rigorous New York inspection and approval process, said Don Hardison, president and chief executive officer of Good Start Genetics. We have seen strong adoption by reproductive health specialists across the country, and now look forward to providing our highly accurate and clinically actionable tests to physicians and patients in New York.

About GoodStart Select

GoodStart Select is Good Start Genetics menu of carrier screening tests that, for diseases such as cystic fibrosis, detects many more disease-causing mutations than any other routine carrier screening test, regardless of patient ethnicity. After years of development and rigorous validation, Good Start Genetics has harnessed the power of its sophisticated technologies, including next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS), to provide highly accurate and actionable tests resulting in higher mutation detection rates and fewer missed carriers. Good Start offers genetic screening tests for all disorders recommended by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), and leading Jewish advocacy groups.

To support the companys gold standard genetic screening capabilities, Good Start has a dedicated team of customer care specialists, board certified medical geneticists and genetic counselors who provide step-by-step support, from test selection through results, analysis and reporting. For these reasons, reproductive health specialists and their patients can have the highest degree of confidence in their genetic carrier screening results.

Here is the original post:
Good Start Genetics Receives Approval to Conduct Genetic Screening in New York

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Hemophilia B: Andrew M. Davidoff, MD at TEDxSonomaCounty
Andrew Davidoff, MD is the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at St. Jude Children #39;s Research Hospital and the St. Jude Children #39;s Research Hospital Endow...

By: TEDxTalks

See the article here:
Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Hemophilia B: Andrew M. Davidoff, MD at TEDxSonomaCounty - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Gene Therapy for Parkinson #39;s Disease
An animation shows what happens during gene therapy for Parkinson #39;s Disease.

By: BrainSpineCenter

More here:
Gene Therapy for Parkinson's Disease - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Stem Cell Therapy Clinics - Regenerative Medicine with Research Studies
http://r3stemcell.com R3 Stem Cell Clinics offer stem cell injection treatments, such as platelet rich plasma therapy, bone marrow derived stem cells and amn...

By: USPainNetwork

See the original post here:
Stem Cell Therapy Clinics - Regenerative Medicine with Research Studies - Video

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Rylee May Post Stem Cell Therapy
This was taken about 7-8 months after stem cell therapy. We have a great improvement in the ability to walk without pain from hip dysplasia.

By: Tim O #39;Neill, DVM

See original here:
Rylee May Post Stem Cell Therapy - Video

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com June 24, 2013 12:16 PM

REUTERS FILE PHOTO

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is verifying media reports that at least three politicians from Mindanao died after undergoing stem cell treatment in Germany.

Citing media reports, PMA president Dr. Leo Olarte said the three politicians went through the procedures as they were trying to seek cure for pneumonia, liver cancer, and heart disease.

Hindi pa natin masasabi kung namatay sila because of stem cell therapy or because of other illnesses.Kailangan pa nating mag-imbestiga, said Olarte, who is also the spokesman of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine.

He said the three could have been given stem cells from sheep and rabbits since these are allowed as sources of stem cells in Germany.

We were told that the two died one year after (their respective) procedures.One of them died in April, yung isa noong (the other one in) May, he said.

Olarte admitted PMA still does not have the identities of the politicians but the PMA will send a team to Mindanao to coordinate with their members there to trace their families.

He said while the PMA has no jurisdiction over the doctors who performed the procedure, establishing the connection of the therapy to the politicians death could serve as a warning to those who received xenogenic stem cells or those derived from animals.

Read the rest here:
PMA verifying reports that stem-cell therapy in Germany killed 3 Mindanao politicians

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

By Jocelyn R. Uy Philippine Daily Inquirer

This stem cell therapy could be hazardous to your health.

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) on Sunday warned Filipinos against availing themselves of the so-called xenogenic stem cell therapy from foreign doctors who fly into the country and perform the procedure in five-star hotels in Metro Manila.

The doctors organization also announced that it had already tapped the help of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police to look into the scam, which it said tainted the legitimate practice of stem cell or regenerative medicine in the country.

Dr. Leo Olarte, PMA president and spokesperson of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM), disclosed that the two medical groups had received complaints from patients and their relatives who had undergone such stem cell procedures allegedly performed in the country by German doctors.

Based on the complaints, Olarte said the patients were asked to check in at a five-star hotel in the capital, where they were injected with animal-based stem cells at around P1 million per shot.

These foreigners are not even licensed to practice medicine in the country and are in violation of the Medical Act of 1959, Olarte stressed. We are then asking government regulators and enforcers, especially the NBI and the PNP, to investigate these criminal acts.

He warned Filipino doctors to stop collaborating with unscrupulous foreign counterparts or the organization would file criminal cases against them.

If you will continue doing this, we will file criminal cases against you, said Olarte, an orthopedic surgeon and practicing lawyer.

The doctor also stressed that the autologous adult stem cell treatmentderived from the patients own blood, bone marrow or fatwas the only approved stem cell therapy by the Department of Health (DOH) because it had already been proven as the safest procedure available worldwide.

Continue reading here:
Stem cell therapy in 5-star hotels? Group sees scam

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Spinal cord injury wheelchair racing on the street top sped 31,6 km 21 6 2013
Arnar Helgi Lrusson sci 2002 T2/3 complete This video is since 2013 visit my website http://www.wix.com/amcorp/sci.

By: Arnar lrusson

See more here:
Spinal cord injury wheelchair racing on the street top sped 31,6 km 21 6 2013 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

The Science of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine - Arnold Caplan PhD (Part 6)
In part 6, Prof. Caplan discusses Trophic properties of mesenchymal stem cells; MSCs for heart disease; MSCs homing to heart injury site and also to skin inc...

By: http://www.cellmedicine.com

View original post here:
The Science of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine - Arnold Caplan PhD (Part 6) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Keynote address - Lord John Krebs - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress
Lord John Krebs, chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee gives his presentation on #39;Mapping a route for the commercialisation of cell...

By: biopharmachannel

Continue reading here:
Keynote address - Lord John Krebs - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Commercialisation through collaboration - Ed Field - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine
Ed Field, Chief Operating Officer at Cytomedix gives his presentation on #39;Commercialisation through collaboration: what does partnering in this industry actu...

By: biopharmachannel

Original post:
Commercialisation through collaboration - Ed Field - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Health economics - Prof. Richard Lilford - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013
Prof. Richard Lilford, Clinical Epidemiology, Public Health Biostatistics at the University of Birmingham gives his presentation on #39;Health economics: how ...

By: biopharmachannel

Read more:
Health economics - Prof. Richard Lilford - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

World Courier Logistics Ltd. - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013
We spoke with some of the sponsors at Europe #39;s largest stem cells and regenerative medicine industry conference. This is a three day congress that stages a s...

By: biopharmachannel

Continue reading here:
World Courier Logistics Ltd. - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress 2013 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Alternative financing models - Navid Malik - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress
Navid Malik, Head of Life Science Research at Cenkos Securities gives his presentation on #39;Alternative financing models: floating on the stock markets to gai...

By: biopharmachannel

Go here to read the rest:
Alternative financing models - Navid Malik - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Chairman #39;s Opening Remarks - Prof. Chris Mason - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress
Prof. Chris Mason from the Regenerative Medicine Bioprocessing Unit, Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering at the University College London gives the C...

By: biopharmachannel

More here:
Chairman's Opening Remarks - Prof. Chris Mason - World Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Congress - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

GOODIEMOB with Cee-Lo Performing LIVE "Cell Therapy"
The Atlanta Hip Hop group, GOODIEMOB, performs in Hollywood. Original member and "The Voice #39;s" Cee-Lo Green performs their rap music hit, "Cell Therapy", wit...

By: ellenoir1

View post:
GOODIEMOB with Cee-Lo Performing LIVE "Cell Therapy" - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 23-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sue McGreevey smcgreevey@partners.org 617-724-2764 Massachusetts General Hospital

In the past year a group of synthetic proteins called CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) have generated great excitement in the scientific community as gene-editing tools. Exploiting a method that some bacteria use to combat viruses and other pathogens, CRISPR-Cas RGNs can cut through DNA strands at specific sites, allowing the insertion of new genetic material. However, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has found a significant limitation to the use of CRISPR-Cas RGNs, production of unwanted DNA mutations at sites other than the desired target.

"We found that expression of CRISPR-Cas RGNs in human cells can have off-target effects that, surprisingly, can occur at sites with significant sequence differences from the targeted DNA site," says J. Keith Joung, MD, PhD, associate chief for Research in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Pathology and co-senior author of the report receiving online publication in Nature Biotechnology. "RGNs continue to have tremendous advantages over other genome editing technologies, but these findings have now focused our work on improving their precision."

Consisting of a DNA-cutting enzyme called Cas 9, coupled with a short, 20-nucleotide segment of RNA that matches the target DNA segment, CRISPR-Cas RGNs mimic the primitive immune systems of certain bacteria. When these microbes are infected by viruses or other organisms, they copy a segment of the invader's genetic code and incorporate it into their DNA, passing it on to future bacterial generations. If the same pathogen is encountered in the future, the bacterial enzyme called Cas9, guided by an RNA sequence the matches the copied DNA segment, inactivates the pathogen by cutting its DNA at the target site.

About a year ago, scientists reported the first use of programmed CRISPR-Cas RGNs to target and cut specific DNA sites. Since then several research teams, including Joung's, have succesfully used CRISPR-Cas RGNs to make genomic changes in fruit flies, zebrafish, mice and in human cells including induced pluripotent stem cells which have many of the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. The technology's reliance on such a short RNA segment makes CRISPR-Cas RGNs much easier to use than other gene-editing tools called zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and RGNs can be programmed to introduce several genetic changes at the same time.

However, the possibility that CRISPR-Cas RGNs might cause additional, unwanted genetic changes has been largely unexplored, so Joung's team set out to investigate the occurrence of "off-target" mutations in human cells expressing CRISPR-Cas RGNs. Since the interaction between the guiding RNA segment and the target DNA relies on only 20 nucleotides, they hypothesized that the RNA might also recognize DNA segments that differed from the target by a few nucleotides.

Although previous studies had found that a single-nucleotide mismatch could prevent the action of some CRISPR-Cas RGNs, the MGH team's experiments in human cell lines found multiple instances in which mismatches of as many as five nucleotides did not prevent cleavage of an off-target DNA segment. They also found that the rates of mutation at off-target sites could be as high or even higher than at the targeted site, something that has not been observed with off-target mutations associated with ZFNs or TALENs.

"Our results don't mean that RGNs cannot be important research tools, but they do mean that researchers need to account for these potentially confounding effects in their experiments. They also suggest that the existing RGN platform may not be ready for therapeutic applications," says Joung, who is an associate professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. "We are now working on ways to reduce these off-target effects, along with methods to identify all potential off-target sites of any given RGN in human cells so that we can assess whether any second-generation RGN platforms that are developed will be actually more precise on a genome-wide scale. I am optimistic that we can further engineer this system to achieve greater specificity so that it might be used for therapy of human diseases."

###

Read the original here:
Powerful gene-editing tool appears to cause off-target mutations in human cells

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Genetic Engineering and Glowing Kitties of DOOM!
In this video Nega looks at one of the examples of genetic modification gone wild. Genetic Modification Gone Wild: 10 Signs That Our World May Be Destined To...

By: Myles Power (powerm1985)

More:
Genetic Engineering and Glowing Kitties of DOOM! - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Shark Antibodies and Genetic Engineering
La Trobe University Project.

By: Malikah McEwen

The rest is here:
Shark Antibodies and Genetic Engineering - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Genius, Mental Illness and Everything in Between: Dr. Lamont Tang at TEDxHongKongED
To what extent is genius and mental illness such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia related? To what extent do genetics and environment influence genius a...

By: TEDxTalks

Original post:
Genius, Mental Illness and Everything in Between: Dr. Lamont Tang at TEDxHongKongED - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

LUGANO, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502) and Seattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN) today announced data from a post-hoc analysis examining progression-free survival (PFS) following treatment with ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) versus last prior therapy in patients diagnosed with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) post-autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL). The data were highlighted during a presentation at the 12th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) being held June 1922, 2013 in Lugano, Switzerland.

ADCETRIS is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30, a defining marker of classical HL and sALCL.

The post-hoc analysis compared investigator assessed PFS following ADCETRIS single-agent treatment to the last prior systemic therapy in patients taking part in two pivotal Phase 2 studies. The post-hoc analysis was conducted in patients with relapsed or refractory HL post-ASCT or relapsed or refractory sALCL in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. It also included prior systemic treatment histories and post-ADCETRIS stem cell transplant experience for each patient in the ITT populations.

These encouraging data suggest that ADCETRIS may delay disease progression compared to prior therapies used in this heavily pretreated patient population, said John Radford, M.D., Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. ADCETRIS is a CD30-targeted treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory HL or relapsed or refractory sALCL that has shown a high overall response rate, including durable complete responses in both of its approved indications.

Progression-free survival analyses of two pivotal phase 2 studies of brentuximab vedotin in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma or systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (Poster #303)

The analysis, presented by Dr. Radford, included:

Relapsed or Refractory HL post-ASCT

Relapsed or Refractory sALCL

Details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Link:
Takeda and Seattle Genetics Highlight Post-Hoc Analysis Examining Progression-free Survival with ADCETRIS® ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Seattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN) today highlighted multiple ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) data presentations at the 12th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) being held June 19-22, 2013 in Lugano, Switzerland. ADCETRIS is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30, which is expressed in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL), that was granted accelerated approval by the FDA in August 2011 for relapsed HL and relapsed sALCL and conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission in October 2012 for relapsed or refractory HL and relapsed or refractory sALCL. Four oral and two poster presentations at ICML illustrated the broad clinical development program for ADCETRIS, including oral presentations describing the ongoing global phase 3 ECHELON-2 trial in frontline mature T-cell lymphoma (MTCL) and data from a phase 2 trial in patients with relapsed MTCL. In addition, an oral presentation included the first report of data from an investigator-sponsored trial evaluating ADCETRIS in first-relapse HL patients as part of a pre-autologous stem cell transplant regimen.

With last years European conditional marketing authorization supporting the use of ADCETRIS as a treatment for patients with relapsed HL and sALCL, this meeting provides us with an opportunity to share important ADCETRIS data with the international physician and patient community as we evaluate ADCETRIS in additional disease settings, said Clay B. Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at Seattle Genetics. ADCETRIS is being evaluated for the treatment of CD30-positive malignancies in more than 20 ongoing clinical trials, including three global phase 3 trials. We look forward to the ongoing presentation of important data at medical meetings such as ICML, demonstrating the broad therapeutic potential of ADCETRIS.

Oral Presentations

PET-adapted Sequential Therapy with Brentuximab Vedotin and Augmented-ICE in Relapsed and Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (Abstract #141, oral session on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 8:50 AM CET)

In an ongoing investigator-sponsored phase 2 clinical trial, patients with relapsed or refractory HL have been enrolled to determine whether ADCETRIS can replace the combination chemotherapy regimen ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (ICE) or be used in sequential administration with ICE to increase the rate of pre-transplant FDG-PET normalization (PET-N), which is an important prognostic factor for patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). At the time of data analysis, 40 patients had been enrolled and 33 patients had completed the treatment program. Key findings presented by Dr. Alison Moskowitz from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center include:

ADCETRIS is not approved for salvage HL patients who are deemed eligible for ASCT.

Safety and Efficacy of Brentuximab Vedotin for the Treatment of Relapsed Mature T-/NK-Cell Lymphomas (Abstract #152, oral session on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 10:00 AM CET)

In an encore presentation from the 2012 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, data were highlighted from a subset of patients in an ongoing phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ADCETRIS in CD30-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The trial is designed to assess the antitumor activity, duration of response and safety profile of ADCETRIS in these patients. At the time of data analysis, 29 patients with MTCL had been enrolled, including 11 with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and 18 with peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). The median number of prior systemic therapies in both lymphoma classifications was two. Key findings include:

ADCETRIS is not approved for the treatment of the MTCL subtypes described in this presentation.

Excerpt from:
Seattle Genetics Highlights ADCETRIS® (Brentuximab Vedotin) Clinical Data at International Conference on Malignant ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Seven-year-old Emily Whitehead received a lot of attention last year when a gene therapy engineered at the University of Pennsylvania cured her of leukemia. At the time, Emily was one of 10 patients who received the T cell therapy that uses a patient's own healthy T cells infected with a virus to attack the cancer cells.

What's really interesting about the therapy is that it uses the HIV virus. How is that possible?

"The virus has been engineered so that it can't cause disease anymore, but it still retains the ability to reprogram the immune system so that it will now attack cancer cells," says Carl H. June, MD from the University of Pennsylvania.

The new cells have been nicknamed "serial killer cells," and rightfully so. These modified cells can kill more than 1,000 different tumor cells.

Check out the video below for more about Emily Whitehead and how the T cell gene therapy works.

Read the original:
HIV virus behind leukemia cures at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith