Cancer Gene Therapy

Modified Cold Virus Is Turned into Cancer Killer

Published in Cancer Weekly, November 4th, 1996

Reshuffling the genes of an ordinary cold virus turns it into a cancer-killing smart bomb able to seek out and destroy tumor cells, researchers reported. The therapy has already been tested on humans.

A mutated version of adenovirus, one of a number of viruses that cause the common cold, was shown in mouse studies to attack and kill human cancer cells that lack a gene called P53. About half of all human cancers have a defective or missing P53 gene.

"The mutated virus takes over and turns the (cancer) cell into a factory to make more virus," said Frank McCormick, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Richmond, California. "After a day or two, the cell is killed...

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Source: Cancer Weekly (1996-11-04)

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