Seeking the cause of induced leukemias in X-SCID trial
J Kaiser - Science, 2003 - science.org
J Kaiser
Science, 2003•science.orgDetails of a second case of cancer in a gene-therapy trial in France, revealed last week,
raise the odds that both were therapy induced. In both cases, a retrovirus engineered to
shuttle corrective genes into cells inserted itself in or near a cancer-causing gene,
apparently triggering uncontrolled cell growth. The risks seem “surprisingly high,” says
pediatrician Alain Fischer, who with Marina Cavazzana-Calvo led the trial at the Necker
Hospital for Sick Children in Paris.The French team has restored the immune systems of …
raise the odds that both were therapy induced. In both cases, a retrovirus engineered to
shuttle corrective genes into cells inserted itself in or near a cancer-causing gene,
apparently triggering uncontrolled cell growth. The risks seem “surprisingly high,” says
pediatrician Alain Fischer, who with Marina Cavazzana-Calvo led the trial at the Necker
Hospital for Sick Children in Paris.The French team has restored the immune systems of …
Details of a second case of cancer in a gene-therapy trial in France, revealed last week, raise the odds that both were therapy induced. In both cases, a retrovirus engineered to shuttle corrective genes into cells inserted itself in or near a cancer-causing gene, apparently triggering uncontrolled cell growth. The risks seem “surprisingly high,” says pediatrician Alain Fischer, who with Marina Cavazzana-Calvo led the trial at the Necker Hospital for Sick Children in Paris.
The French team has restored the immune systems of nine of 11 boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disease (X-SCID), making this the first clear success in gene therapy. But the appearance of two cancers, one in September and a second in December, is a major setback for the field (Science, 17 January, p. 320).
AAAS