Could a modified common cold virus some day cure cancer?
Could a modified common cold virus some day cure cancer?
Spanish scientists are tweaking adenoviruses to make them attack the most lethal tumors in children and adults
Over a century ago, a few doctors observed that some of their patients were suddenly cured of leukemia after being naturally infected by a virus.
These spontaneous remissions were sadly anecdotal on a planet with 14 million new cases of cancer a year, but they were enough to fuel a century-long dream: to genetically modify viruses to attack and destroy tumoral cells, multiplying within them and feeding the treatment until the cancer is completely gone.
But reality turns out to be a lot harder than the theory, as evidenced by the first gathering of the newly created Spanish Adenovirus Network, which met in Madrid last month.
Carmen San Martín, researcher
Adenoviruses are everywhere. They cause common colds and diarrhea, but their characteristics also make them a versatile tool in the ongoing quest to destroy cancer.
“They are relatively easy to produce in large amounts and they have a large genome, with enough space to introduce the genes you are interested in,” explains Carmen San Martín, a researcher at the National Biotechnology Center and the coordinator of this network of 10 independent scientific groups.
“We can modify adenoviruses to make them act like biomedicines against some diseases,” she adds.
Read the full story: http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/04/22/inenglish/1461331193_765173.html
Pin It
