The University of Minnesota in Minneapolis launched a new clinical trial that will use CRISPR genetic engineering to treat metastatic gastrointestinal solid tumor cancer, according to an Oct. 12 press release.
The trial follows research using CRISPR for editing a novel intracellular checkpoint, cytokine-induced SH2 protein, to increase the capability of T cells to fight cancer, the press release said.
Current CAR-T and other cell therapies have been effective in liquid tumors, but there haven't been significant results for solid tumors, the release said.
The principal investigators of the trial used CRISPR to delete a gene called CISH in human T cells, the release said. Research found this edit has increased T cells' ability to recognize and kill cancer cells.
"We believe that CISH is a key factor preventing T cells from recognizing and eliminating tumors, but because it resides inside the cell, we couldn't block it in the same fashion as other checkpoint drugs like PD-1," Branden Moriarity, PhD, one of the principal investigators, said in a statement. "Given the potential power of CISH to increase anti-cancer killing of solid tumors, we turned to CRISPR/Cas9 based genome engineering."
The trial has been recruiting patients since May, the release said.
Read full details here.
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