MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Researchers have reprogrammed the body’s T cells to attack cancerous B cells, the driving force behind chronic lymphoid leukemia, the most common form of leukemia.
A team at Pennsylvania University designed a new gene that can be introduced into T cells, allowing them to identify a molecule that is uniquely found on cancerous B cells.
The white blood cells were extracted from three patients with CLL, reprogrammed with the gene and then reintroduced into the patients.
"Within three weeks, the tumors had been blown away, in a way that was much more violent than we ever expected," lead author Dr. Carl June said in a press release. "It worked much better than we thought it would."
Chimpanzee attack victim gets new face, hands at Brigham and Women’s hospital
Charla Nash, who made headlines when she was mauled by her boyfriend’s pet chimpanzee that left her with a dramatically disfigured face and missing hand, has a newly transplanted face, Health Blog wrote.
Sex-testing at seven weeks
A new blood test can tell the sex of a fetus at seven weeks of pregnancy, and it has some worried that it will lead to sex-selective abortions, Time’s Healthland wrote.
Digital tattoo monitors bio-signs
A newly devised small electronic vital sign monitoring applied to the skin like a temporary tattoo may provide the next-generation of body-integrated medical devices, Science News wrote.
About the size of a postage stamp, nearly as thin and stretchy to accommodate movement, the device can house a light-emitting diode, solar cells, transistors and antennae, among other things.
Premier inks two more deals
Hospital group purchasing organization announced two new deals with med-tech providers this week.
The GPO signed Covidien plc (NYSE:COV) for ECG electrodes, cables, lead wires and defibrillator pads, and signed a sixth consecutive deal with Instrumentation Laboratory for critical care analyzers, reagents and consumables, including Instrument Lab’s flagship Gem Premier 4000 blood gas analyzer.