Scientists from Israel said they have used innovative tech to kill cancerous cells in lab animal studies without damaging the other healthy cells successfully.
They say this is the first time a thing like this has been done.
The CRISPR Cas-9 gene editing system gives scientists the opportunity to make precise changes to the DNA and this has gained its creators, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for this year.
Research done at the Tel Aviv University reveals that this system can now be used for treatment of cancer in animals, according to Dan Peer professor whose peer-reviewed research was released in the Science Advances journal.
A more Elegant Chemotherapy, Explain the Scientists
Peer emphasized the fact that there are no side effects from this process and he described it as an elegant chemotherapy. He also added that he believes that if a cancer cell is treated in this manner, it won’t become active again.
Moreover, this tech could prolong the life expectancy of cancer patients and they’re hopeful that one day, it may even help cure the illness. Peer also emphasized the ability of the tech to destroy the tumor within a 3-day treatment.
It can physically cut the DNA of the cancer cells and prevent them from surviving.
Peer noted that they’re hopeful that this process will eventually become a replacement for chemotherapy which is currently still a highly aggressive treatment with severe side effects.
Unlike this new and promising treatment, the chemotherapy used today worldwide is administered to the entire body.
What Did the Researchers Do during the Study?
For the purposes of the research, hundreds of mice were injected with 2 of the most aggressive cancer types, i.e. glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, and metastatic ovarian cancer.
The mice who received this treatment had double life expectancy from the control group, with a 30 percent higher rate for survival.
According to Peer, his team plan to develop the treatment for all types of cancers and expect it to be ready for use in humans within 2 years.
For now, the CRISPR Cas-9 is only used for rare cell illnesses which have already been eliminated from the body.
The goal is to personalize the treatment to patients based on a biopsy which will determine if the person will get an injection or an injection into the tumor.
Hope for Improved Cancer Treatment that’s less Invasive
Peer said that when they first talked about treatment with messenger RNA some 12 years ago, people considered it a science fiction.
However, he believes that in near future, there will be a lot of personalized treatments that are based on genetic messengers for cancer, but for other genetic illnesses too.
Although this current tech does need further development, it’s crucial to have shown its ability to destroy cancer cells.
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