A new treatment for leukemia has shown promising results, says a study from the University of Pennsylvania published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine.

According to a CNN blog, the new therapy uses "serial killer" cells that target leukemia and destroy cancerous cells.

The treatment is still in its early stages, tested on only three patients, but they all saw significant results within a few weeks, researchers said. Two patients went into full remission and one had a partial response.

The treatment is a gene therapy that enables the patient's own blood cells to attack cancer cells, CBS reported. The patient's blood is drawn, and altered T-cells are then infused back into patients.

NPR reported that the altered cells remained in the blood six months after injection and researchers believe that if the leukemia reappears, the modified cells will continue to destroy them.

The results provide "a tumor-attack roadmap for the treatment of other cancers," including malignancies of the lung and ovaries as well as myeloma and melanoma, researchers told Reuters.

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