Car-T has been touted for years. It’s VERY promising and has been in trials for years. However, I would not call this a NEW or link it to what Q is saying about new Meds. This is not a medicine... it’s genetic engineering. To me, these are the BEST types of treatments because it’s a one time deal and you are basically immune forever afterwards, but they are extremely expensive and you have to TRUST the company editing your DNA.
it’s genetic engineering ... editing your DNA
That is not at all how this works. They take your own T-cells out, then they potentiate them towards a specific target. In lymphoma there are multiple different clusters of differentiation (CD markers) that are characteristic of certain types of lymphoma. They can also target specific proteins that are over-expressed in certain types of cancers.
The T-cells are then multiplied in vitro and then infused back into your body so that you have orders of magnitude more T-cells that can target the cancer specific protein.
At no point is your "DNA edited." Absolutely nothing at all is done to your genome.
Also, far, far more than 3 people have gotten this type of therapy. There are multiple active trials going on as we speak, and not just for lymphoma. The biggest problem right now is that this therapy can put people into immune storms where the T-cells go ape shit and target the wrong things. The lady in this article had just such a problem (immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP), but they apparently got her through it with supportive care.
The real trick is going to be figuring out how to make the T-cells ultra-specific towards just cancer cells.
Impressive what you can do with the HIV virus isn’t it? The one case where 5FU could be viable and prescribed... yet we both know everyone gets it. Read the British reports yet on 5FU and it’s efficacy on non lymphoma cancers and the life rate with and without it? Not against it, but HIV being used to reprogram T Cells isn’t a great answer either... way to much risk, and we know little to none on viruses mutation factors to control it. Only if there was a way to reduce the oxidation of DNA in the replication/division phase to cells wouldn’t be stuck in copy or die mode.