How to biohack your cells to fight cancer - Greg Foot
TED-Ed・7 minutes read
Humans are complex 4 billion-year-old meat robots made of 30 trillion cells, facing issues like cancer due to errors in genetic code replication. Scientists are developing CAR T-cell therapy to reprogram the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells, showing promise in treating blood cancers and potential for further advancements in solid cancers.
Insights
- Errors in genetic code replication lead to evolution through beneficial mutations but can also result in issues like cancer when cells divide uncontrollably, showcasing the delicate balance between innovation and disease in the human body.
- Synthetic biologists are leveraging CAR T-cell therapy to reprogram the immune system, enabling it to target and eliminate cancer cells, highlighting the potential for groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment by harnessing the body's natural defenses in innovative ways.
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Recent questions
What is the purpose of CAR T-cell therapy?
CAR T-cell therapy reprograms the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
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Summary
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"Rewriting Genetic Code to Fight Cancer"
- You are a 4 billion-year-old meat robot made of 30 trillion cells, each with its own task, essentially a mega-meat-bot with a mission to safeguard and duplicate the code of life.
- Errors occur in copying your code, leading to evolution through beneficial mistakes, but also resulting in issues like cancer when cells divide uncontrollably.
- Cardiologists, immunologists, and microbiologists have worked to understand and fix issues within your mega-meat-bot, but sometimes cancer cells evade treatment.
- Synthetic biologists are rewriting genetic code through CAR T-cell therapy, reprogramming the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
- Your immune system, with T-cells and B-cells, fights pathogens effectively but struggles to identify cancerous cells due to their similarity to healthy cells.
- CAR T-cell therapy involves reprogramming T-cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells, offering promising results in blood cancers like acute lymphoblastic leukemia, with potential for further advancements in treating solid cancers.
