Dan Jones Magazine issue 2592 A little gene-tweaking could give our bodies the power to fight off the most devastating diseases, as New Scientist discovers
MARK ORIGER of Watertown, Wisconsin, should be dead. In 2004 it became clear
that conventional treatments for his skin cancer had failed. The disease had
spread to his liver, and it wasn't clear whether he'd live long enough to make
it to his daughter's wedding the following year. Yet he not only made it to the
wedding, he is still alive today. His tumours are gone, and he appears to be
free of cancer.
What saved Origer was genetic engineering of his immune system. Cells were
taken from his body, given a gene that programmed them to attack melanoma cells
and then re-implanted. The modified cells survived and thrived, and slowly
destroyed his tumours.
Others were not so fortunate. Of the 17 patients in the pilot trial, only
Origer and one other man responded to the treatment. But their survival proves
the approach can sometimes work wonders - and soon ...
