A first-of-its-kind cancer trial at the University of Philadelphia's Abramson Cancer Center using CRISPR, the much-hyped gene-editing tool, received approval from a federal panel, STAT reports.
CRISPR refers to sequences of short, repeated DNA segments that play a role in immune system function. Researchers have begun looking into CRISPR's ability to reverse disease by swapping out genes that cause mutations. This strategy has already been used in a mouse model to cure a rare liver disorder in a single treatment, according to a Harvard University blog post.
The panel-approved procedure would remove T-cells that normally target cells that appear foreign, then use the CRISPR method to modify them to specifically destroy tumor cells and put them back into patients, according to STAT.
The trial would include patient participants with different forms of cancer and be funded by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, named for Napster co-founder and former Facebook president Sean Parker, who gifted $250 million to six cancer research centers in April.