Gene therapy cures skin cancer

Genetic modification has cured two men of skin cancer. The two men were not expected to live beyond 12 months when they commenced treatment.

In the study, conducted by the US National Cancer Institute, immune cells were removed from the melanoma sufferers and genetically engineered to better recognise cancer. The cells were then reintroduced into the patients and were successful in fighting the cancer. The men are cancer-free 2 years later.

However, genetic modification is not without its risks. In a 2002 French trial, 2 boys being treated with gene therapy for X-SCID – or "bubble boy" syndrome, developed leukaemia. Researchers discovered the leukemia occurred because the newly transferred gamma c gene had stitched itself into the wrong place, interrupting the function of a gene that normally helps regulate the rate at which cells divide. Consequently, the cells began to divide out of control, causing leukemia.

The University of Utah has a comprehensive guide to gene therapy. Although it has great potential, gene therapy remains an uncertain science.