A revolutionary new type of biological engineering called “base editing” has cleared a teenage girl’s incurable cancer.
“She’s the first patient to be treated with this technology,” explains Prof Waseem Qasim from UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Base editing allows scientists to modify the molecular structure within genes and change genetic instructions. Six months have passed since the procedure, and the once-incurable cancer remains undetectable.
“Eventually I would have passed away,” says 13-year-old Alyssa who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May of 2021. Alyssa is the first of ten people who are set to receive the treatment as part of a clinical trial. “You just learn to appreciate every little thing. I’m just so grateful that I’m here now,” Alyssa says.
