Programming Your Immune System to Kill Cancer

If cancer has prevented you from working for a long period of time, you may be able to recover long term disability benefits.

A report from the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine has reported on a novel treatment developed at the University of Pennsylvania that could signify a turning point in physicians’ struggle to develop effective gene therapies.

Denise Grady, reporter for the New York Times, has written an article “An Immune System Trained to Kill Cancer” that explains how Dr. Carl June, who led the research at the University of Pennsylvania, was stunned with the results of the gene therapy that has programmed the T-Cells to attack cancer. T-Cells are a type of white blood cells that fight viruses and tumors.

To make these T-Cells search out and destroy cancers, Dr. June explained that researchers must equip them to recognize cancer, attack, multiply and live on inside a patient.

The University of Pennsylvania research team was able to do all of those tasks at once, unlike earlier efforts. Dr. June and his colleagues tried a daring approach by using a disabled form of HIV.-1 as the vector in gene therapy.

Dr. June has explained that the AIDS is a natural for this kind of a treatment because “it evolved to invade T-Cells”. Why the idea of putting the form of the AIDS virus into people sounds frightening, he acknowledged that the “virus” was “gutted”, it is no longer harmful and his team has helped develop this therapy.

For patients like William Ludwig who “almost dead” from leukemia, this treatment was a “Hail Mary”. We at Cavey and Barrett congratulate the University of Pennsylvania team for this phenomenal medical advancement.

If you have leukemia and have been out of work for a long period of time, hiring a long term disability attorney may be the best move that you can make. If you have purchased a disability policy from a private insurer or have coverage through your employer, you may be entitled to long term disability benefits. Unfortunately, just as cancer is hard to fight, long term disability insurers’ will fight disability claims for policy holders with leukemia and cancer. If you are unable to work and you have been denied your long term disability benefits, Nancy Cavey can help you cut through the red tape and fight for your benefits no matter where you live in the United States. Call her today at 727.894.3188.

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