Scientists create virus that has potential to fight cancer
Not all viruses set out to cause widespread death and sickness —
some have the potential to fight cancer, according to new research.
Researchers from Hokkaido University in Japan
have genetically engineered adenoviruses, which is a family of viruses that cause
mild symptoms, to replicate inside cancer cells and kill them, according to a new
paper in the journal Cancers.
To do this, Fumihiro Higashino, a molecular
oncologist, and his team inserted adenylate-uridylate-rich elements (AREs) from
two human genes — a stabilizing element found in a type of macromolecule
present in all biological cells — into two strains of the virus to help
specifically attack cancer cells.
“The idea behind the insertion is that the
AREs will stabilize the killer adenoviruses, allowing them to replicate only
inside cancer cells but not in normal healthy ones,” Higashino said in a statement.
To test the modified virus, the researchers
inserted human cancer cells under the skin of nude mice, which then developed
into tumors.
They then injected the adenovirus into the
tumors, which resulted in significant shrinking, researchers said.
Higashino said the findings were promising for not only treating
cancer but a host of other diseases.
“We think the viruses we engineered could also
have potential for treating diseases related to inflammations, viral infection,
hypoxia, and ultraviolet irradiation,” Higashino said.
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