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B1 – Intermediate

Because of a new experimental gene therapy, cancer patients might have a fighting chance against the deadly disease cancer.

Gene therapy is a medical approach to treat or cure a person from a disease by modifying their genes. The process involves replacing defective genes with healthy ones.

For more than ten years of his life Nick Wilkins fought leukemia. It was a heartbreaking time for his parents. But now at 15, Nick is cancer-free thanks to a new experimental therapy.

Nick went through many kinds of treatment: chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant, but the cancer kept coming back. Nothing was working. But then his parents found out about a clinical trial for an experimental gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania.

It’s called “personalized cell therapy.” Doctors reprogram the patient’s T-cells to multiply and then attack and destroy cancer cells. The T-cells attack the cancer cells like the body fights a cold.

Trials started in 2010 and the results have been very positive. Most of the children in the trials have gone into complete remission. And one third of adults have gone into remission, as well.

There are plans to expand the trials to other hospitals. If all goes well the treatment could become available to the public in three to five years.

Discussion Questions:

1. What was your reaction to the success of this approach with Nick Wilkins?
2. What are your thoughts on gene therapy or personalized cell therapy?
3. What are the good and bad things about being a part of a clinical trial for an experimental drug or treatment?
4. If you were Nick Wilkins’ parents, would you do the same with your child who is suffering from a terminal illness? Why or why not?
5. Why do you think it is so hard to find an ultimate cure for cancer?

B1 – Intermediate

All of our five senses are crucial to how our bodies receive sensory information. In particular, our sense of smell is important to be able to taste and for us to identify good foods, hazards, and pheromones. 

According to some studies, the olfactory senses are also essential in knowing if your health is compromised.

According to a study carried out at the University of Chicago, a weakened sense of smell may be a predictor of death. In the study, researchers tested the sense of smell of 3,000 people between the ages of 57 and 85. Participants had to identify five different smells: rose, peppermint, leather, orange, or fish in a multiple-choice test.

When the researchers checked back on the participants five years later they discovered something very surprising; nearly 40 percent of those who had received a low rating on the smell test had died. That figure was four times higher than the death rate for those with a healthy sense of smell. And only 19 percent of those with a moderate sense of smell had died in the same five-year period.

The researches stressed that the loss of the sense of smell is probably just an indicator of declining health–not a cause. On the other hand, they said that such smell tests could be a cheap and easy way to check the overall health of elderly people and even young people too.

Discussion Questions:

1. What was your reaction to the results of this study?
2. How good or bad is your sense of smell? Why do you think that is?
3. Do you think it is important to have regular medical checks? Explain your thoughts.
4. What medical tests do you take to check your overall health and how often do you have them?
5. What are other common indicators of declining health of people?
6. Are you conscious about your health? Why or why not?