Gene Therapies Trained to Kill Cancer

In a bold new experiment at the University of Pennsylvania, doctors removed a billion of William Ludwig’s T-Cells. T-Cells are white blood cells that fight viruses and tumors. The T-Cells were given new genes that were programmed to attack his cancer. The altered cells were then dripped back into Mr. Ludwig’s veins and, after a few weeks, his leukemia was gone.

According to an article in the New York Times: Science Times there was “no trace of it anywhere, no leukemic cells in his blood or bone marrow, no more bulging lymph nodes on his CT scans.” This treatment was described recently in the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine. It may be a significant turn in a long struggle to develop effective gene therapies against cancers and the HIV-1 virus that causes AIDS.

If your leukemia has prevented you from working for a long period of time or you are in treatment, you may be entitled to receive long term disability benefits if you have purchased a disability plan through a private insurer or have coverage through an employer.

Unfortunately, long term disability carriers don’t make it easy for those with leukemia or HIV to get the disability benefits that they deserve. We, at Cavey and Barrett, applaud the bold experiment at the University of Pennsylvania run by Dr. Carl June.

If you are fighting your long term disability carrier while you are fighting your leukemia, Nancy Cavey, can help you cut through the red tape and help you fight for your benefits no matter where you live in the United States. Nancy’s father, who died of leukemia, had a USFGI disability policy, she knows first hand what it is like for a leukemia sufferer to tackle the long term disability claims process.

Call today at 727.894.3188.

**Cite: The Science Times: New York Times, Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Article by Denise Grady**