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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Lung cancer affects thousands -possibly millions- of people around the world every year. In countries where cigarette smoking is prevalent, the number of persons affected by the deadly disease is surely on the rise. Air pollution and other environmental pollutants may contribute to these frightening statistics. Fortunately, a group of Chinese scientists seems to be making significant headway in the search for a cure for the most aggressive forms of lung cancer. One technique currently being investigated in China is called “gene editing,” and it may well facilitate an eventual cure for all sorts of troublesome cancers.
What in the world is gene editing?
If you haven’t yet heard of CRISPR-Cas9, you’re not alone. The technology that’s more commonly called CRISPR has been around only since 2012, but it’s already causing quite a happy stir in the world of cancer research. Developed at the Berkeley campus of the University of California, gene editing is an adaptation of a system that’s been studied as a cure for various viruses. Biochemists Jennifer Doudna, Martin Jinek, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Krzysztof Chylinski are credited with developing the CRISPR that works rather like a pair of scissors to snip DNA and rearrange its genetic code, according to Transgenic News.
If you think genetic editing sounds like science fiction, you’re right. Last November, scientists in China announced that they’d edited genetic material and reinserted it into a lung cancer patient. According to WebMD, Lu You and colleagues at Sichuan University extracted cells, modified them, reproduced them and injected them back into an unnamed patient. The hope is that the edited genes will target and destroy invading cancer cells.
As soon as next year, Chinese scientists and cancer researchers at Beijing University may be utilizing the technique to treat a range of cancers, including prostate cancer, renal cell cancer and bladder cancers, as well.
Carl June is an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s working on a US version of gene editing and told CNN, “I think this is going to trigger ‘Sputnik 2.0’, a biomedical duel on progress between China and the United States, which is important since competition usually improves the end product.” Christina Larson contributes to Science magazine and noted that China may have the advantage due to the larger scope of their trials. “One of the most important elements of CRISPR development in China is scale. It’s being deployed in many different ways, in many different labs.”
Gene editing may someday replace current lung cancer treatment options
At the time of this writing, most non-small-cell lung cancers that are detected early are treated with surgery to remove the offending tissue or even the whole lung. Radiation therapy and/or chemo-therapies may be utilized after the operation. Lung cancers involving small cells are generally treated another way.
Radiofrequency ablation may be used to treat small-cell lung cancers. This treatment modality is accomplished with a thin needle inserted through the skin and into the tumor. Short bursts of electricity are delivered to heat and destroy the offending cells.
High-energy X Rays may be used to treat certain forms of lung cancer. Typically, this treatment is used to shrink cancer cells prior to surgery, but X rays may be utilized alone to deal with lung cancer tumors. Chemotherapy is another option that may be used as a stand-alone modality or combined with radiation and/or surgery. Numerous medications may also be used to treat lung cancers. Among them are Afatinib (Gilotrif), Bevacizumab (Avastin), Crizotinib (Xalkori) and Necitumumab (Portrazza). Modern companies such as Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals provide a number of high-tech, scientific offerings to academic researchers, gene editors and drug discoverers at labs and research facilities around the globe.
Quit smoking now
By now, practically everyone knows about the dangers of tobacco use. Second-hand smoke is almost as dangerous. While the world anticipates gene editing to become a viable lung cancer treatment option, you might want to quit smoking cigarettes yourself.
Find a reason -any reason- to quit. Consider your loved ones and the effect your smoking may have on their health and happiness. Line up a support system before you try to quit. Quit with a friend and encourage each other to breathe clean air, not cigarette smoke. Talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement lozenges and gums. Avoid alcohol and stressful situations while you’re quitting. It might make it a lot easier.
Modern science is an amazing thing. The idea that gene editing may soon replace invasive lung cancer treatments is exciting news for healthcare professionals and patients worldwide.
William Barnes takes an interest in science and medical research. He enjoys reading up on what is happening and then writing about that in a simpler way for more people to understand.
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