U. Penn: Treating Cancer Like the Common Cold

What if cancer could be treated like the common cold? 4 year old Nick Wilkins was diagnosed with leukemia and when his cancer kept coming back, he had one chance to try a new therapy from the University of Pennsylvania: killing cancer like the common cold.


The therapy uses the patient's T-cells, crucial for the immune system, to reprogram them by gene transfer. When infused back into the body, each modified cell multiplies to 10,000 cells, each tracking down and killing the cancer in a patient's body. In this way, doctors are training Nick's body to fight off cancer the same way our bodies fight off a common cold. 

Two months later, he emerged cancer-free. Six months after treatment, there is still no trace of leukemia in Nick's system. 21 young patients received the same treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and 18 of them, like Nick, went into complete remission -- one of them has been disease-free for 20 months. These results might forever change the course of medical history. 

We also recommend watching: "Cal June: 6-Year Old Cured of Cancer with HIV Virus" and "Syndrome X: Mystery Behind the Woman Who Does Not Grow".

U. Penn: Treating Cancer Like the Common Cold

The University of Pennsylvania is an American private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of the Ivy League universities and one of the nine original Colonial Colleges. Incorporated as The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn is also one of 14 founding members of theAssociation of American Universities.