Wednesday, July 26, 2017

In a girl's last hope, altered immune cells beat leukemia.




In Girl’s Last Hope, Altered Immune Cells Beat Leukemia

By DENISE GRADY
Published DEC. 9, 2012 

For the Article Click Here
Summarized by Rebecca Wiley

Emma Whitehead was just a normal child until leukemia took over her body. Doctors, and Nurses were running out of options. At 6 years old, she was knocking on death's door. Luckily that door did not open due to an experimental treatment never tested on a child, and a person with her type of leukemia. This treatment used a disabled form of the AIDS virus to reprogram her body to kill cancer cells. Basically, many of her T-Cells are removed and replaced with T- Cells that kill cancer cells(and b cells). A patient will get extremely sick before they get better. Emma was on the verge of death after her treatment. Luckily with strategic thinking from the medical team, she survived and is now living cancer free. Most individuals would be jumping up and down reading this. Sadly, this is not yet the cure for cancer. Of the patients who received this treatment, the results varied. Some were cured, some were not, some did not stay in remission, and some had no effect.

For more information on leukemia Click Here



1 comment:

  1. It's interesting to see how one illness can be used to help treat another. Treatments seem to be very varied which is unfortunate. One person may be cured but another will have no effect.

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