Harvey Harris, gene-therapy pioneer
Harvey Harris, 63, of Gibbsboro, a maintenance mechanic who underwent groundbreaking gene-therapy treatment for mesothelioma, died of the disease Saturday at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., where he had a second home.
Harvey Harris, 63, of Gibbsboro, a maintenance mechanic who underwent groundbreaking gene-therapy treatment for mesothelioma, died of the disease Saturday at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., where he had a second home.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Mr. Harris had chipped asbestos off pipes while in the Navy. In addition, he worked for nearly 13 years at the Owens-Corning fiberglass plant in Barrington, where he routinely handled asbestos; he also handled asbestos as a civilian employee for 17 years at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla.
He was diagnosed with the disease in February 2004. In March 2005, after conventional chemotherapy had failed to work, he decided to try an experimental treatment at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
He was infused with hundreds of billions of viral particles genetically engineered to rev up his body to attack the cancer. In July, he became the first patient in the clinical trial at HUP to get a second dose of the gene drug. Tests done after the drug was administered showed that the cancer had not progressed and his physician, Daniel Sterman, told him some cancer might have cleared.
In October 2005, Mr. Harris was featured in an Inquirer story about the innovative treatment. The newspaper updated readers on his condition in January 2006, reporting that Mr. Harris was enjoying his grandchildren, fishing and working in his pottery studio.
Though he became ill again last fall, his wife, Jeanette Gaskins Harris, said, he continued to be hopeful. At the time of his death, he was taking a chemotherapy treatment typically used for breast cancer that has shown promise for lung cancers.
Mr. Harris grew up with nine siblings in Magnolia and attended Haddon Heights High School. After serving in the Navy for two years, he was a hospital orderly and a short-order cook before joining Owens-Corning as a maintenance mechanic. While working, he took courses at Camden County College, Rutgers University and the University of West Florida in subjects ranging from mathematics to art. He had enough credits for a degree, his wife said, but kept changing his major.
Mr. Harris raised three children in Camden with his first wife, Charlay Harris. They later divorced. In addition to his wife of five years, Jeanette Harris, Mr. Harris is survived by daughters Sharlay Smith and Patricia Bentley; a son, Harvey Jr.; two brothers; three sisters; three grandchildren; and his former wife.
A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Grace Temple Baptist Church, 15 E. Charleston Ave., Lawnside. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Berlin Cemetery, Berlin, N.J.
Donations may be made to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Mesothelioma Fund, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia 19104.
To read a previous story about Harvey Harris, go to