On Thursday 5th November, Great Ormond Street Hospital revealed some incredibly exciting news –the first person in the world to receive a pioneering genetic therapy to treat her 'incurable' leukaemia is now cancer free and doing well. The treatment, previously only tested in the laboratory, was used in 1-year-old Layla Richards, who had relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
This is also wonderful news for the OSCAR campaign, chaired by Spinnaker's Phil Parry, because the leading researcher in the study, Professor Waseem Qasim, Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy at UCL ICH and Consultant Immunologist at GOSH, receives a leadership grant for his work from the OSCAR campaign.
This major breakthrough is a fantastic example of how the OSCAR campaign supports world-class researchers at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Institute of Child Health. The OSCAR campaign board and supporters should all be very proud of the work they are doing to help improve children’s lives not just at the hospital but all over the world!
Visit www.gosh.org/oscar to find out more.
