GM blood 'could beat cancer'

The blood is genetically modified to target cancer tumours

Genetically modifying a patient's own blood could help them beat cancer, according to scientists in Australia.

Their technique involves removing millions of white blood cells from the patient and boosting them with cancer-fighting genes.

These genetically altered cells are then injected back into the patient to identify and destroy cancer tumours.

The technique has been tested effectively in mice and could be trialled in humans in just two years.

It has been developed by scientists at the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

Immune boost

It aims to dramatically boost the ability of the immune system to fight cancer.

You can take the cells from the immune system from the animal itself, treat them outside the body to be able to recognise cancer and then inject them back into the body Professor Trapani

"Instead of having a very, very few, perhaps one in 1,000 cells that can recognise the tumour, now we have virtually 100% of them that can home in and so the attack on the tumour is much, much greater," said Joe Trapani, an associate professor at the centre.

He said tests on mice have shown that the procedure can be done.

"What we've shown so far is that you can take the cells from the immune system from the animal itself, treat them outside the body to be able to recognise cancer and then inject them back into the body," he said.

Professor Trapani said the technique could potentially help patients with many types of cancer but researchers were concentrating on common tumours, such as those found in the lung and breast.

"Initially the sorts of trials we think we'd be aiming at would be a form of glandular tumour called adnocarcinoma which is common to various sorts of tumours arising in organs such as the breast, the colon, the pancreas and perhaps even the lung," he said.

Human trials are expected to begin within two years, subject to regulatory approval.