Leukemia Treatment Virtually Eradicates Cancer, Kills 'Pounds' Of Cancerous Cells (VIDEO)

A new leukemia treatment is wowing even the researchers behind its creation, providing results beyond their wildest expectations.

It's virtually eradicated cancerous leukemia cells in the first three patients it's been tested on.

In two of the first three patients the process was tested on the treatment completely destroyed the most common type of leukemia, according to MSNBC. In the third patient, the treatment seems to have reduced the cancerous cells to 70 percent of what they once were.

"Within three weeks, the tumors had been blown away, in a way that was much more violent than we ever expected," said senior author Carl June, MD told Penn Medicine.

Amazingly, the breakthrough actually uses patients' own T cells to fight the cancer, according to the University of Pennsylvania's news release. Researchers took the T cells of the patients, ran them through Penn's vaccine production facility, and then reintroduced them to the patients' bodies following chemotherapy.

In more scientific terms, from Penn Medicine:

After removing the patients' cells, the team reprogrammed them to attack tumor cells by genetically modifying them using a lentivirus vector. The vector encodes an antibody-like protein, called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which is expressed on the surface of the T cells and designed to bind to a protein called CD19.

Once the T cells start expressing the CAR, they focus all of their killing activity on cells that express CD19, which includes CLL tumor cells and normal B cells. All of the other cells in the patient that do not express CD19 are ignored by the modified T cells, which limits side effects typically experienced during standard therapies.

The result was a very, very effect means of treatment that showed very positive results within 28 days. "In addition to an extensive capacity for self-replication, the infused T cells are serial killers. On average, each infused T cell led to the killing of thousands of tumor cells – and overall, destroyed at least two pounds of tumor in each patient," June told Penn.

Those who took part in the study were nearly out of options before the treatment. The news release states that short of a bone marrow transplant (which carries at lest a 20 percent mortality risk and only 50 percent chance of recovery) none of these patients had alternative medical options.

The next step for scientists is to test the treatment on different types of leukemia. In the future, the process may be modified to target other types of tumors, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Amazingly, MSNBC reports that this radical treatment almost never happened. Funding for the experiment was apparently hard to find, and is one reason the treatment has only been tried on three patients.

From MSNBC:

Both the National Cancer Institute and several pharmaceutical companies declined to pay for the research. Neither applicants nor funders discuss the reasons an application is turned down. But good guesses are the general shortage of funds and the concept tried in this experiment was too novel and, thus, too risky for consideration.

With promising results like this, it's hard to imagine how it could be so hard to get funding.

WATCH (Details of the study, via UPENN):

Comments

[Tatters]

09:12 AM on 08/17/2011

The fact that they had a hard time with funding tells me that this is breakthrough medicine. But I'm afraid that once in the hands of the Pharma's that a negative result clinical trial will come out and squelch this research.

This is not in the best interest of Pharma's. These doctors should provide the research data to all Pharma's worldwide and make it publicly available as well, otherwise, it could simply disappear and become just another blip on the medical history records or worse, re-branded as a hoax.

[1234j]

04:59 PM on 08/15/2011

My husband has Stage 4 Colon Cancer. He's been on the best chemo treatment for colon cancer and it didn't work. Right now he's on the list for any clinical trials out there.

I hope and pray this research continues. Maybe soon he can try it. This is good news.

[gerodoc1955]

05:24 PM on 08/13/2011

Two words...Jesse Gelsinger.
3 patients? Way too early to make a decision about the validity/efficacy/safety of this approach.
Much more work needed, including replication of the results at multiple other centers.
Certainly sounds promising, however. The therapy that exists now is only moderately effective at best.

[Nicole Bruno]

05:13 PM on 08/13/2011

This wasn't funded because it would cut the drug industry profits - there is no money in a cure. Amazing discovery, I hope it gets the attention and funds it deserves.

[mikekojima1]

03:22 PM on 08/13/2011

This is to acknowledge the dedication and personal sacrifice these superb doctors and researchers went through to try to save others as this was probably developed without any heed to their own personal incomes and may have even involve their own monies being invested to do this.
The greatness of the results is only second to the greatness of their personal sacrifice for the benefit of mankind.
What can I say? Thank you for your unselfish efforts and congratulations. Thousands or millions may be saved as a result.

[manfrommars]

02:59 PM on 08/13/2011

one of the more frighteneing studies i read (lots of idle time on Mars for reading) is they only like to fund studies similar to ones already done and proved successful - that way they can continue to show success and get even more grants to replicate even more 'sure bet' studies!

[LovisMirac]

12:00 PM on 08/13/2011

Great job, guys. I know there are studies happening with related work... and if we can get just put cancer patients first (over the profit motive), we're probably close to extraordinary breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

As far as "it's hard to imagine how it could be so hard to get funding" goes, I HIGHLY highly recommend watching this film, re' another breakthru cancer treatment:
http://www.burzynskimovie.com/

If I was to be VERY idealistic -- really cutting the FDA a tremendous amount of slack -- I might say that the FDA was too caught up in "being right" -- that MAYBE they really were saying "Burzynski wrong to treat, until he's done double-blind studies with hundreds"...
... but would that explain why the federal agencies later TOOK OUT THEIR OWN PATENTS on AntiNeoPlastons?

FYI, movie transcript and references here:
http://burzynskimovie.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96&Itemid=78

The first 10 minutes or so is more technical/medical... very interesting...

The information re' competing patents taken out starts somewhere around 1hr 10mins to 1hr 15mins into the movie.

ENJOY...

[DutchUncleAl]

01:45 PM on 08/13/2011

I was actually attending a conference in Washington DC in either '98 or '99 (I attended both years) and was in the room when an FDA official apologized to Dr. Burzynski for all the grief they had given him.

[LovisMirac]

02:33 PM on 08/13/2011

Thanks *VERY* much for sharing that: it really helps complete the story... (and "redeem" the FDA), for me.

[No death panels]

06:38 PM on 08/13/2011

Burzynski STILL hasn't published any phase 3 results.

[jglalone]

11:40 AM on 08/13/2011

Why not seek private funding from the public. Then have it produced when determined ready for use, using the funds in the same way by a Not-for-Profit set up from the same funds. Then fees for the medication can be at a minimal cost to make money to roll over into additional production. Of course, the Pharmaceutical Companies would go to the politicians they have in their pockets to stop production and steal the patent. Then turn around and charge 100-1000 times the production cost to future patients. We have to fight hard for the DECRIMINALIZATION of pharmaceuticals, insurance companies, and health care corporations.
Contact your representatives to demand laws/regulations to be passed to force these agencies to operate ethically.

[Jmz4gtu]

07:41 PM on 08/13/2011

Actually I read about a cool site that was set up similar to microlending sites, where people could post a description of their research, and ask for donation to fund it. I can't seem to find it again, but it was a neat idea.
This work was supported by a Penn Based endowment (the name is in the Penn Med press release).

[caprawalie]

11:17 AM on 08/13/2011

Dramatic responses to certain types of cancers with either chemotherapy drugs or so called targeted smart molecules is not unheard of, but the proof of the pudding is the so called randomized test in which patients are assigned to the new drug and a comparator. This new therapy which purportedly is based on high powered manipulation of the patients own immune cells is not a novel concept but a novel trial. But the fact that this investigators have jumped the gun and tried to create a sensation and their rejection by the usual funders of such advances in medicine indicates the suspicion that surrounds an aspect of either their methodology or their clinical trial. Whereas funders do not necessarily reflect the ultimate success of this presumed iconoclastic breakthrough science, the researchers should at least hold of their enthusiasm and not raise the hopes of patients until they have a little more than a few patients and have a sound basis for their claims. Let us hope this is no the cold fusion of cancer!

[Raven1970]

11:00 AM on 08/14/2011

I see your point of view, however, I also believe strongly that if there is any treatment that is showing this much promise and they cannot get the funding (which is completely not surprising from the pharmaceutical companies) that it is through Media and communications that they can let the general population know that there is some potential here and possibly force the funding. I am sure hundreds if not thousands of cancer treatments went unfunded and burried without any of us ever knowing they existed.

[trinhsman]

11:10 AM on 08/13/2011

Why did the National Cancer Institute and Pharmaceutical companies turn down funding this study? VERY SIMPLE. It doen't involve drugs that they can make lots of money on. This goes back to the theory that if a cancer cure was discovered that was cheap and easy to do, the Pharmaceutical Companies and other would stop it in its tracks because money could not be made. FOLLOW THE MONEY........It will tell you everything, every time.

[toxicshock]

12:40 PM on 08/13/2011

I'm not too keen on conspiracy theories, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we've had a cure for cancer for a long time, but isn't available to the public for those very reasons you listed. In fact, if you Google "cancer cure canada" (or more specifically Dichloroacetic acid), you'll see some very interesting articles.

[Jmz4gtu]

07:47 PM on 08/13/2011

Yeah, that's not a conspiracy though (regarding DCA). Companies have outright said, "since you can't patent it, we're not going to fund the trials to prove it is effective". They're not philanthopic organizations, after all, and unless something can be patented, they're basically just donating the money to their competitors.
The trials would have long been funded by the NCI if the research in question were at an American institution.

[ShamusNYC]

11:45 PM on 08/12/2011

You would not believe how amazing treatments can slip through the cracks.

This is one protocol for solid tumors that seems amazing:
http://www.tumorend.com/about_us.html

Look at the Phase I results - even more impressive when you consider that the treatment really needs a healthy immune system and the Phase I patients had no immune system left (after chemo & radiation). Compare these results to something like Avastin... also, this should be cheaper to make in that it doesn't involve culturing cells, etc...

But, alas - not on market...

[Jmz4gtu]

07:51 PM on 08/13/2011

Yeah, but it looks like they'll get funding. 10 million is a pretty small amount for the types of companies that fund this stuff, and they already have a Phase 1 trial done with positive results.

[Chockolate]

11:18 PM on 08/12/2011

Beat that, prayer!

[Jmz4gtu]

09:39 PM on 08/12/2011

"Penn's vaccine production facility..."
-Why would it go there? There's no vaccine's involved in any of this.

"With promising results like this, it's hard to imagine how it could be so hard to get funding."
-Because it is expensive, and not entirely scalable (yet). It requires fairly sophisticated technology and trained technicians to produce and manipulate the lentiviral vectors, culture and infect the T cells, and then screen for abnormalities.
Also, several labs are developing similar approaches, though I don't think anyone has reported so much success.

[Debi Kelly Van Cleave]

09:36 PM on 08/12/2011

Too late for my mother who died from leukemia last year. Doesn't surprise me the pharmaceutical companies refused to fund this. It cost my mother $7,000. a month for her leukemia drug, Gleevac. They make a lot of money on that. And that was just one of her drugs. She and my father went through their whole life savings trying to save her, even though she had insurance. My mother would be happy to know that others might not have to go through the same fate.

[pottimouth]

08:02 AM on 08/13/2011

I'm really sorry for your loss Debi. The day is coming when the C epidemic will be no more. But it won't be with the 'help' of the cancer institutes and drug companies though, they have no interest in ending their power and funding. I recommend people here view "Run From The Cure" by Rick Simpson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0psJhQHk_GI
or at his own site http://www.phoenixtears.ca/
Even at "street prices" an entire effective course won't cost anything like 7k

And check out the "world's first virtual clinical trial" being done with pure Wasabi Japonica, at www.fresabi.com
This potent brassica has other uses besides killing cancer cells too, I'm taking it.

[joatal]

06:54 PM on 08/12/2011

Drug companies are going to fight this to the end. They stand to lose billions if this treatment were to go ahead and becomes successful. Thumbs up to all the scientists, researchers and doctors involve in this project.

[Scienceroxs]

07:53 PM on 08/14/2011

And just HOW are they going to fight this to the end? If a treatment is proven to work and be effective it WILL move forward. There is profit to be made from these treatments too.

[joatal]

04:47 PM on 08/17/2011

I really hope drug companies embrace this treatment. Just imagine no more cancer research funding, eliminating manufacture of cancer drugs, no more cancer ward in the hospitals etc. Just like the big oil companies that bought out the guy who designed a device that would enable a car to get near a hundred miles per gallon. If you have a product that does not break down or get sick as often you will lose money. Take the tires on your car for instance. There are rubber compounds available that would make those tires last 2-3 times longer. Why isn't it being manufactured? I think it is the same thing with big medicine. I would like to know what the outcome of this treatment a year from now.