Herpesvirus Kills Cancer Cells, Spares Normal Ones

**min0 lee** · 03-30-2007, 07:12 PM

I would rather have herpes given a choice between the 2.

Herpesvirus Kills Cancer Cells, Spares Normal Ones

NYU School of Medicine researchers report in a new study that they have isolated a new version of a herpesvirus that kills cancer cells but spares normal tissue.

The finding may eventually lead to more potent anti-cancer therapies that capitalize on the ability of viruses to reproduce in the body.
In animal studies, the new version dramatically reduced the size of human prostate cancer tumors grown in mice. Moreover, it completely eradicated the tumor mass in some of the animals, and it appears not to harm normal tissue.
"We took a crippled virus and essentially made it into a more effective killer of cancer cells," says Ian Mohr, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine, who led the research and is an author of the study. "But we've only demonstrated this in mice. Clearly the next step is to see whether this more potent anti-tumor virus works in other animal models."
"We think this new virus offers great promise as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer," says Samir Taneja, M.D., Assistant Professor of Urology, an author of the study. "Eventually we hope to test this virus in humans but we still have many things to work out," says Dr. Taneja, whose laboratory is focused on finding new therapeutic strategies for treating prostate cancer.
The new study appears in the July 17 print edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Viruses are usually associated with disease. In recent years, however, scientists have turned a bane into a potential good by taking advantage of the ability of viruses to infiltrate human cells, where they can then reproduce.
Viruses have developed this ability over the course of millions of years of evolution, and they are especially agile pirates, commandeering a cell's own machinery to churn out more virus, and ultimately destroying the cell. The cell too has evolved its own defense against viral invasion.
Although this kind of viral research is still in its infancy -- and it is far too early to say whether it will ever result in new cancer therapies -- at least 10 different oncolytic (cancer-killing) viruses are, or are soon to be, in early clinical trials. Most of these viruses have been genetically engineered so that they will not cause disease, but will infect rapidly dividing cancer cells.
One of these viruses is the herpes simplex virus-1, well known as the cause of cold sores, but capable of causing a serious brain infection as well. In the early 1990s, scientists tinkered with two genes in the virus that disarmed its ability to cause the brain infection and its ability to reproduce in non-rapidly dividing cells.
The result was a weakened herpesvirus that didn't cause disease, but reproduced in rapidly growing cancer cells. This herpesvirus, however, isn't an ideal destroyer, says Dr. Mohr.
"Although the virus kills cancer cells, the process of weakening it often has a deleterious impact on its ability to replicate inside cells. The result is that the virus doesn't completely destroy the tumor mass, and the surviving cancer cells can simply grow," he says.
To get around this problem, Dr. Mohr's group observed the effect of the genetically engineered herpesvirus on human cancer cells grown in a laboratory dish. Then they isolated the viral strain that was the most effective killer of cells and discovered that it contained an extra genetic mutation that enabled more robust reproduction of the virus.
This extra mutation switches the expression of a protein called Us11 to an earlier time in the infection cycle of the virus, which prevents the cell from mounting a response to stop viral replication.
In the new study, Drs. Mohr and Taneja and their associate Jennifer MacGregor found that the new version of the genetically engineered virus was far more effective in killing prostate cancer cells in an animal model than was the older version of the same virus.
The NYU team injected the new version of the genetically engineered herpesvirus with the added mutation directly into human prostate cancer tumors they had implanted into mice that had no immune systems.
In another group of mice, they injected the older version of the herpesvirus, and in the last group they injected an inert solution that didn't contain virus.
Thirty-four days after the treatment, the tumors injected with two million virus particles of the new version were, on average, eight times smaller than the tumors injected with the older version of the virus.
Moreover, the tumor mass had completely disappeared in up to 40% of the animals injected with the new version of the virus.
The study was supported by a grant from the Department of Defense and an award from CapCure, the foundation for prostate cancer research established by Michael Milken.

16-Jul-2001

**emitecaps** · 03-30-2007, 07:46 PM

I'd rather have neither but that's pretty interesting.

**min0 lee** · 03-30-2007, 07:52 PM

Niether would I but if given the choice.....

**BigDyl** · 03-30-2007, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Niether would I but if given the choice.....

You already have one of them...

**hardasnails1973** · 04-02-2007, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

I would rather have herpes given a choice between the 2.

Herpesvirus Kills Cancer Cells, Spares Normal Ones

better take stock in valtrex then

**Dale Mabry** · 04-02-2007, 08:19 PM

There must not be a clean girl on the planet if cancer is catching herpes.

**bigss75** · 04-02-2007, 08:30 PM

One in four females have herpes outbreaks and a much larger has the virus, so Id take herpes anyday of the week

**min0 lee** · 04-02-2007, 09:04 PM

**Gazhole** · 04-03-2007, 06:45 AM

This is really promising stuff. I do think i'll see a total cure for Cancer in my lifetime. Amusing, since im usually pretty cynical...

**hardasnails1973** · 04-03-2007, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by Gazhole

This is really promising stuff. I do think i'll see a total cure for Cancer in my lifetime. Amusing, since im usually pretty cynical...

Cancer prevetnion is on cutting edge now but drs are too stupid to realize it and to test for. Its actually a simple 70 buck urine test that has caught alot of people before due to fact that if estrogen gets to high it causes interfereance in DNA/RNA morphism with in the specific genes. Yes I have come along way since 6 months.

Actaully a bodybuilding supplement is now being researched for this and slowly down and possible cancer prevention.

**tucker01** · 04-03-2007, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by Gazhole

This is really promising stuff. I do think i'll see a total cure for Cancer in my lifetime. Amusing, since im usually pretty cynical...

That is Ok there will be some other disease 10 times worse. Now talk about cynical.

**BigDyl** · 04-03-2007, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by hardasnails1973

Cancer prevetnion is on cutting edge now but drs are too stupid to realize it and to test for. Its actually a simple 70 buck urine test that has caught alot of people before due to fact that if estrogen gets to high it causes interfereance in DNA/RNA morphism with in the specific genes. Yes I have come along way since 6 months.

Actaully a bodybuilding supplement is now being researched for this and slowly down and possible cancer prevention.

You can order cheap lab tests online now for cancer or anything really.

**hardasnails1973** · 04-03-2007, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by IainDaniel

That is Ok there will be some other disease 10 times worse. Now talk about cynical.

Herpes is like the an ex GF. Even though think you get rid of them they always seem to come back no matter what you try to do..

**DontStop** · 04-03-2007, 10:41 AM

Herpes isnt even bad. Like people who get it will only get a short outbreak once or twice a year.

**Dale Mabry** · 04-03-2007, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by DontStop

Herpes isnt even bad. Like people who get it will only get a short outbreak once or twice a year.

BUSTED!

**DontStop** · 04-03-2007, 10:52 AM

No i dont have it
I did however take Bio 30
And STD info happened to be in the cirriculum

**Bakerboy** · 04-03-2007, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by DontStop

No i dont have it
I did however take Bio 30
And STD info happened to be in the cirriculum

I believe you.

On a side note. DontStop why don't you start a journal? I think it's time.

**DontStop** · 04-03-2007, 11:07 AM

I was thinking about it! I've started writing in a notebook but I know I'm going to get hounded on pretty bad if i start one on here

**Bakerboy** · 04-03-2007, 11:16 AM

No you won't. I'll watch your back. In open chat they mess with you but not in your journal. Journal = respect

**fufu** · 04-03-2007, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by hardasnails1973

Herpes is like the an ex GF. Even though think you get rid of them they always seem to come back no matter what you try to do..

You need a fufu in your life to help you forget.

**hardasnails1973** · 04-03-2007, 12:01 PM

would that FUFU be nice and furry or be a bald beaver (or in some people cases a sausge) whats your preference HAHA Nothing like getting a furball in your mouth from the FUFU in your life YUCK.. COUGH COUGH

**fufu** · 04-03-2007, 12:06 PM

**DontStop** · 04-03-2007, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bakerboy

No you won't. I'll watch your back. In open chat they mess with you but not in your journal. Journal = respect

Alright well perhaps I'll make one tomorrow or later today

**BigDyl** · 04-03-2007, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by DontStop

Herpes isnt even bad. Like people who get it will only get a short outbreak once or twice a year.

I'd get that checked out.

**DontStop** · 04-04-2007, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

I'd get that checked out.

Originally Posted by DontStop

No i dont have it
I did however take Bio 30
And STD info happened to be in the cirriculum

**Dale Mabry** · 04-04-2007, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by DontStop

I did however take Bio 30

What's that, an antibiotic.

**DontStop** · 04-04-2007, 12:17 PM

Haha no. And please take note, in BIOLOGY 30 we learned antibiotics dont kill or protect against viral diseases, peach.

**Dale Mabry** · 04-04-2007, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by DontStop

And please take note, in BIOLOGY 30 we learned antibiotics dont kill or protect against viral diseases, peach.

Who said you had a virus, I thought you didn't have herpes?

**DontStop** · 04-04-2007, 01:20 PM

It was implied.

**Bakerboy** · 04-04-2007, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by DontStop

Alright well perhaps I'll make one tomorrow or later today

DontStop what are you going to call your new journal?

Thread: Herpesvirus Kills Cancer Cells, Spares Normal Ones

Thread Tools

Display

Herpesvirus Kills Cancer Cells, Spares Normal Ones

Similar Threads

Small Molecules Can Starve Cancer Cells

Sodium benzoate is a preservative that promotes cancer and kills healthy cells

Sodium benzoate is a preservative that promotes cancer and kills healthy cells

How Our Liver Kills 'Killer Cells'

PGF-2a kills fat cells

Posting Permissions