Trojan-horse therapy 'completely eliminates' cancer

By Hum
in Science News & Discussion

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Grand Master

Hum

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An experimental "Trojan-horse" cancer therapy has completely eliminated prostate cancer in experiments on mice, according to UK researchers.

The team hid cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour.

Once inside, a study in the journal Cancer Research showed, tens of thousands of viruses were released to kill the cancerous cells.

Experts labelled the study "exciting," but human tests are still needed.

Using viruses to destroy rapidly growing tumours is an emerging field in cancer therapy, however one of the challenges is getting the viruses deep inside the tumour where they can do the damage.

"The problem is penetration," Prof Claire Lewis from the University of Sheffield told the BBC.

She leads a team which uses white blood cells as 'Trojan horses' to deliver the viral punch.

After chemotherapy or radiotherapy is used to treat cancer, there is damage to the tissue. This causes a surge in white blood cells, which swamp the area to help repair the damage.

"We're surfing that wave to get as many white blood cells to deliver tumour-busting viruses into the heart of a tumour," said Prof Lewis.

Her team takes blood samples and extract macrophages, a part of the immune system which normally attacks foreign invaders. These are mixed with a virus which, just like HIV, avoids being attacked and instead becomes a passenger in the white blood cell.

In the study, the mice were injected with the white blood cells two days after a course of chemotherapy ended.

At this stage each white blood cell contained just a couple of viruses. However, once the macrophages enter the tumour the virus can replicate. After about 12 hours the white blood cells burst and eject up to 10,000 viruses each - which go on to infect, and kill, the cancerous cells.

Gone

At the end of the 40-day study, all the mice who were given the Trojan treatment were still alive and had no signs of tumours.

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Grand Master

Praetor

Posted
Posted

thought exactly the same thing... injecting virus to kill cancer cells? and what about those virus, how are they gonna be eliminated?

Experienced

ashpowell

Posted
Posted

Watch this, even closer to the I am Legend scenario..

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82971704/

Experienced

Pygmy_Hippo

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Posted

"The problem is penetration," Prof Claire Lewis from the University of Sheffield told the BBC.

Isn't it always? :woot:

  • The Evil Overlord, Kondrath, Glassed Silver and 2 others
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Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

I love the two insensitive comments above me.

On a more serious note, this sounds like great news to me, it's pretty crazy having lost a person not long ago and after that came a similar news like this.

Now again.

It's a bit saddening that people are still dying from this horrible illness, however I hope we eventually get there and can get rid of a HUGE worry to most of us.

Glassed Silver:mac

  • Arkaic and The Evil Overlord
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Grand Master

PNWDweller

Posted
Posted

So, then after all clinical trials are done and succesful, a cured Man could safely claim he carries Trojans on him prior to jumping in bed with someone. (Bad! Bad! I know! Overtired).

I didnt watch the video, but my first thought after reading this was what about the Viruses inside, would there eventually be an antidote for those, or would they simply be a good agent for any future cancer infections? Or would the cells naturally die anyway after a while?

If they lasted a long time and proved to be successful in human trials against many cancer types, I could almost see it becoming a vaccine.

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

So, then after all clinical trials are done and succesful, a cured Man could safely claim he carries Trojans on him prior to jumping in bed with someone. (Bad! Bad! I know! Overtired).

I didnt watch the video, but my first thought after reading this was what about the Viruses inside, would there eventually be an antidote for those, or would they simply be a good agent for any future cancer infections? Or would the cells naturally die anyway after a while?

If they lasted a long time and proved to be successful in human trials against many cancer types, I could almost see it becoming a vaccine.

I would guess (didn't watch the video either) the viruses actually need the tumor to live.

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

reminder, viruses dont "live". they arent classified as living things.

I know that and I was on the edge of editing my post, but then I already had something else to do and I couldn't be bothered anymore :p

Either way, I guess people know, regardless of the scientifically flawed wording, what I actually mean. :)

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

Hum

Posted
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Posted

thought exactly the same thing... injecting virus to kill cancer cells? and what about those virus, how are they gonna be eliminated?

I guess the virus gets used up, in the process of killing off cancer cells.

Grand Master

soniqstylz

Posted
Posted

thought exactly the same thing... injecting virus to kill cancer cells? and what about those virus, how are they gonna be eliminated?

adeno-associated viruses, which have no known role in any disease, and have no real immuno-response.

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