The Hindu : Front Page : The promise of a cure

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Friday, Jan 18, 2008
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The promise of a cure

Deepa Kurup

Baltimore on his research in the fields of cancer and HIV

The future lies in being able to control cell behaviour, said Professor Baltimore
Work on to make the immune system direct T-cells to focus on cancer cell antigens

BANGALORE: Students and faculty of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) were taken on a rollercoaster of scientific discovery and cutting-edge research as Nobel laureate David Baltimore gave them a small glimpse into the unfathomably large world of genes and genetic engineering.

Delivering a lecture on ‘New Avenues to Health’, Professor Baltimore shared aspects of his ongoing research, yet unpublished, in the field of cancer and HIV treatment with students. “Being at the end of my career, I am devoting time to push my favourite topics — cell and gene therapy — and marrying them in new approaches to disease.”

Latest trends

From designer proteins to the promising world of synthetic biology, Professor Baltimore spoke about the latest innovations and trends in his field. “We are only beginning to understand inter-molecular reactions in cells, the future lies in being able to control cell behaviour.”

Of particular interest to the audience was his description of the ongoing projects in his laboratory. “A lot of this is about engineering rather than just pure science,” he pointed out. Outlining his work in cancer research, he said he was working towards programming the immune system to direct T-cells (which fight antigens) to focus on cancer cell antigens.

Professor Baltimore feels that the future lies in a combination of immune therapy, stem cell therapy and gene therapy, each of which, he said, had been mired in controversy.

Current projects

On his ongoing work in the field of HIV research, he said there were seven projects currently underway. He said work in the field of research in immunity engineering showed a lot of promise, with researchers expecting to treat their first patient “within a month or two.”

“A lot of the work underway in several of these projects might just prove to be the Holy Grail of medicine, especially the process of targeting vectors to specific cell types in vivo.”

He spoke with great excitement about the relatively new concept of ‘In Vivo Dendritic Cell Immunisation’ where dendrite cells (mostly found under the skin) were injected with retroviral vectors which make the lymph nodes release T-cells to attack antigens (in mice). This is a process of training the lymphatic system to induce immunity, he explained.

A lively interaction followed the hour-long lecture. While some questions pertained to the highly specialised field of immunisation therapy, others meandered into the realm of philosophy. Professor Baltimore had the audience in splits with some quick-witted responses, even as he explained the more complex issues in detail. “Why would I want to do that?” he replied to a question on whether genetic engineering could halt the ageing process.

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