11-11-2015 07:00

Leukaemia is one of the most common childhood cancers. One girl spent the first year of her life fighting it. Doctors tried chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants, but these methods failed.

The doctors had to try something completely new. They took healthy cells and added genes which kill cancer. They also removed DNA from the cells, so the girl’s body could not see them and attack them.

The new method worked and the girl is much better now. Her mother said that she is very energetic.

Doctors must further test the method so they can use it on more patients.

Difficult words: bone marrow (the material in the middle of some bones), cell (the smallest part of a living thing), gene (a part of a cell which controls it).

You can read the original story and watch the video in the Level 3 section.