Reovirus help treat cancer

Common virus that causes cold symptoms have or bowel disorders, can defeat the malignant tumor. Researchers from Georgetown University organized a clinical experiment in which test the ability of the agent to work on some types of cancer.

In five years, the child is likely to be infected with reovirus. Picture of the disease when the infection is as follows: cough, bouts of diarrhea, sometimes the disease is asymptomatic. Thanks to the human body's immune system kills the virus itself. The researchers found that the virus develops into cancer cells, and their presence inhibits the growth of tumors. This work was aimed at identifying the possibility of using the virus for the treatment of cancer.

The researchers called artificial genetic mutation of the virus, because of which he lost the ability to infect humans. Malignant cells are forced to mutate genes KRAS or EGFR, and these genes make cancer cells vulnerable to the effects of the virus. When the cell mass of the reovirus enters cancer, it is something like an explosion.

It is now planned clinical trials of the virus with cancer patients. They will introduce the virus in combination with drugs and to monitor how the tumor will behave.