The team of researchers has applied for license for new therapies which they can be tested in humans within 3 years.

 

 

 

When screening the gene mutant mice, scientists have discovered a strain of cells producing cytotoxic T 10 times when infected, compared with normal mice.

 

But the mice are resistant to infection and cancer is much stronger.They also produce more than one type of T cell Monday - called memory cells - allowing identification of the infection has ever encountered before and launched respond quickly.

 

This discovery completely unexpected because of new protein functions ever known and is unlike any other protein that scientists have recorded.

 

With discovered incidentally on a team that has never known protein - which they named the molecule lymphocyte development (lymphocyte expansion molecule, referred to as LEM) - increases the number of T cells ( cells have the ability to "seek and destroy" the cancer cells a surprisingly.

 

Further tests showed that LEM has a similar effect on the human immune system

 

Now they are developing a gene therapy will increase the production of LEM proteins in the body, thereby increasing the number of T cells to attack cancer cells.

 

Therapies will use the T cells are taken from individual patients. The cells of the patient will be removed, modified by "insert" more genes to produce LEM, and then put back into the patient through the line, maybe 4 times / 2 months.

This therapy can also be used to treat other viruses.

 

 

 

 

The scientists said the gene therapy will initially be used to treat patients with late-stage cancer. Treatment is relatively expensive because it must be "individualized" for each patient, based on the collection of a patient's own cells. But the cost will be managed based on the significant benefits that it brings.

 

The development of new therapies for 6 years also have the participation of Queen Mary University, London, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and Harvard Medical School in the US.