

Gene therapy for metastatic melanoma in mice produces complete remission   - cwan
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/iuso-gtf111810.php

======
MikeCapone
"Indiana University School of Medicine researchers used a modified lentivirus
to introduce a potent anti-melanoma T cell receptor gene into the
hematopoietic stem cells of mice. Hematopoietic stem cells are the bone marrow
cells that produce all blood and immune system cells."

Has this type of gene therapy ever been tried on humans? Any successes so far
(not necessarily in curing something, but just in using a virus to carry
genetic information)?

~~~
frisco
Yes: gene therapy has been used investigationally since the 90s
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_therapy>). It has a bad tendency to kill
human patients or cause cancer, but it's very widespread in research. For
example, optogenetics (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optogenetics>) uses
lentivirii to insert DNA into specific classes of neurons to get them to
express a protein.

------
nitrogen
This is excellent news. I knew someone who died prematurely from metastatic
melanoma. I hope these results can be extended to human use, so that some day
others don't have to suffer the same fate, hopefully within my lifetime.

