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June 02, 2004

Cancer Progress

This cancer news is very welcome.

Researchers have succeeded in destroying cancer cells using a genetically modified virus. Human trials start in 2005. I'd heard of modifyinig cold viruses to take on lung cancer, but it seems this new technique is not only wildly more effective, but applicable to a very broad range of tumors.

Thanks to BC for the link.

June 2, 2004 in Science | Permalink

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Comments

I have a dumb question. How do they know that this will work on humans by testing it on animals? The human immune system is way more complex than an animal's and with all the stuff we feed it (antibiotics and the like), I would think that it'd be a bit hyperactive.

I wish they had discovered this using-a-cold-virus thing years ago, though. There's a friend of the family who's got cancer now and her outlook is not good.

Phoenix

Posted by: Phoenix at Jun 2, 2004 3:58:51 PM

The only way to know if it will work on human cancers is to try it in humans. It may be a total flop, so it's too early to congratulate anyone.
This use of viruses to attack cancers is potentially powerful, and an early example of nanotechnological oncology. Viruses are merely molecular machines, and the more they are modified by humans to do human work, the more machine like they become. Fascinating.

Posted by: BSP at Jun 2, 2004 5:22:40 PM