Chinese researchers used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique in a patient with lung cancer. A world first that raises questions.
A step has been taken in gene editing. For the first time the CRISPR-Cas9 genetic manipulation technique has been used in a man with aggressive lung cancer. This first was carried out by a Chinese team at the end of last October as part of a clinical trial announced this summer, reports the prestigious scientific journal Nature.
This technique, nicknamed “molecular scissors”, makes it possible to replace or modify a diseased gene by a healthy gene almost indefinitely. This revolutionary method quickly established itself in laboratories and opens the way to new therapeutic avenues against many diseases.
10 patients will be included
The Chinese trial is the first to test it in patients with metastatic non-small cell cancer, for which all treatment options have failed. To design the treatment, researchers take a specific type of white blood cell, T lymphocytes. These cells are then genetically modified using CRISPR-Cas9 to recognize cancer cells and kill them. These modified white blood cells are amplified in the laboratory and then reinjected into patients.
The first patient included has already received an injection. He should receive a second soon, said Dr Lu You of Sichuan University in Chengdu. A total of 10 patients are expected to participate in this study and will receive between 2 and 4 injections of modified T cells. To ensure the safety of the treatment, the volunteers will be followed 6 months after the administration of the treatment. They should be followed up a few more months later to assess its effectiveness.
Several tests in 2017
Other Chinese teams are preparing to test the effectiveness of CRISPR-Cas9 in cancer patients. Researchers at Peking University are awaiting authorization from the country’s ethical authorities and hope to launch 3 clinical trials in March 2017 in patients with bladder, prostate and kidney cancer. An American team, which has developed a therapy targeting 3 diseased genes, also hopes to be able to launch a clinical trial in early 2017.
In the scientific world, and in particular that of cancerology, CRISPR-Cas9 is raising hopes. However, gene editing also raises many ethical questions. Some specialists are worried about a breakthrough in eugenics. “Unless it shows a huge gain in efficiency, it will be difficult to justify its introduction,” said Naiyer Rizvi, an oncologist at Columbia University in New York interviewed by Nature. Especially since its use is not yet fully mastered. By applying it in humans, the Chinese team has embarked on a great unknown.
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