At CIRM we are very cautious about using the “c” word. Saying someone has been “cured” is a powerful statement but one that loses its meaning when over used or used inappropriately. However, in the case of a new study from U.C. San Francisco and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, saying “cure” is not just accurate, it’s a celebration of something that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.

The research focuses on children with a specific form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) called X-Linked SCID. It’s also known as “bubble baby” disease because children born with this condition lack a functioning immune system, so even a simple infection could be fatal and in the past they were kept inside sterile plastic bubbles to protect them.

In this study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers took blood stem cells from the child and, in the lab, genetically re-engineered them to correct the defective gene, and then infused them back into the child. Over time they multiplied and created a new blood supply, one free of the defect, which helped repair the immune system.

In a news release Dr. Ewelina Mamcarz, the lead author of the study, announced that ten children have been treated with this method.

“These patients are toddlers now, who are responding to vaccinations and have immune systems to make all immune cells they need for protection from infections as they explore the world and live normal lives. This is a first for patients with SCID-X1.”

The ten children were treated at both St. Jude and at UCSF and CIRM funded the UCSF arm of the clinical trial.

The story, not surprisingly, got a lot of attention in the media including this fine piece by CNN.

Oh, and by the way we are also funding three other clinical trials targeting different forms of SCID. One with UCLA’s Don Kohn,  one with Stanford’s Judy Shizuru, and one with UCSF’s Mort Cowan