Old Habits Die Hard

In our hustle of flashy electronics, gaming, and just plain working too much, it's pretty easy to miss "little" tidbits like this. Those major maladies we still suffer from as a species are actively being hunted, and in cases like this, we're using an old and sometimes flawed tactic to do it; the enemy of my enemy is my friend.



http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/07/06/1008300107.abstract?sid=f84ba227-1626-4527-85db-896cbfcfc223

Case in point, researchers are reprogramming a genetically programmed virus to carry T-cells capable of fighting  off targeted cancer cells. This method, known as Adoptive Cell Transfer (ACT) of T cell Receptors (TCR) essentially creates T cell packets with signatures for different types of cancer, which are then released into the patient. The packets use their programmed homing beacons to seek out cancerous cells and do naturally what we traditionally seek out chemotherapy for. Results thus far are promising, and the initial tests have shown (via PET scan) that these genetically developed antibodies are capable of seeking their intended targets and eliminating them.

In essence, creating a virus similar to HIV that reprograms T cells to seek and destroy cancer isn't such a bad way to tackle an old problem. With proper testing, hopefully this will become a viable, possibly primary alternative to chemotherapy.