The treatment kills tumors in the brain and trains the immune system to prevent them from recurring by triggering a gene-editing tool called CRISP-CAS9 for cancer-destroying proteins.
The scientists conducted their experiments on mice suffering from a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma, according to the British newspaper, The Independent.
About the study and its importance, lead author Khalid Shah said: “Using gene engineering, we repurpose cancer cells to develop a treatment that destroys infected cells, stimulates the immune system to destroy tumors in their initial stages, and prevent cancer.”
“This breakthrough raises hopes of modifying the DNA in the brain with a vaccine, without the need to remove any tissue,” Shah added.
According to the revolutionary experiment, the details of which were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the technology that was tested takes advantage of the “CRISPR” technology, which acts as a molecular scissors, cutting DNA at specific locations, and either deleting sections or replacing them with alternative sequences that secrete a protein that attaches to the target.
It is worth noting that about 2,500 cases of glioblastoma are diagnosed in the UK each year, and only 7 percent of them survive, knowing that the only treatment for this disease is surgery and medications with many side effects.
#advanced #technology #scientists #developing #vaccine #eliminates #dangerous #type #cancer