The bug that can blast away cancer: Drug made from virus extends patients' lives (Very good news)

Daily Mail UK ^ | 1:19 AM on 08th June 2009 | Beezy Marsh

[rawhide]

A common virus which causes stomach upsets is giving hope to cancer patients - by boosting their immune system and blasting away tumours. Almost 80 patients with advanced forms of liver cancer, head and neck tumours and breast cancer are taking part in trials using a drug made from the reovirus.

A number, who have struggled to benefit from chemotherapy, have seen astonishing results, with tumours shrinking and in one case disappearing altogether.

Experts say it is too soon to say if Reolysin is the 'magic bullet' that will kill off cancer, but they believe it may offer a way of extending the life of patients given a short time to live.

Reolysin appears to kill off cancer cells by rupturing their walls, creating a chain reaction of 'explosions' which rip through tumours. As the tumours shrink they become less harmful and more easily treatable by chemotherapy.

At the same time, Reolysin seems to 'wake up' the immune system so it can recognise cancer cells as invaders, prompting the body to mount an attack on harmful cells.

[rawhide]

Very good news.

[GOPJ]

ping

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[MHGinTN]

Wow! Really good medical news. With your indulgence, I’m pinging a few folks who might want to not miss this one ...

[greyfoxx39]

That’s good to hear...we need good news right now.

[Miss Didi]

Good news indeed.

[HangnJudge]

URL to Company site...

http://www.oncolyticsbiotech.com/tech.html

[rawhide]

Great graphic:

[diamond6]

But will the FDA approve? I read almost every week about a new “breakthrough” but then nothing ever comes of it.

[Fred Nerks]

thanks for the ping, that's a chain reaction of explosions I can appreciate!

[Domestic Church]

Ping!

[metmom]

Good question, also in light of obama’s healthcare.

Something about cost effective treatments being preferred, which effectively rules out new stuff like this, because of it being new, hence more expensive.

[Myrddin]

It's a great delivery system...as long as it remains specific to the target cell and only carries the desired "load" of proteins/RNA. The experimental "hosts" we used in our labs were always mutants that required specific supplementation to live. If they "escaped" into the "wild", they would die for want of the supplementation.

[SunkenCiv]

Fascinating!

A common virus which causes stomach upsets is giving hope to cancer patients - by boosting their immune system and blasting away tumours. Almost 80 patients with advanced forms of liver cancer, head and neck tumours and breast cancer are taking part in trials using a drug made from the reovirus.

A number, who have struggled to benefit from chemotherapy, have seen astonishing results, with tumours shrinking and in one case disappearing altogether.

Experts say it is too soon to say if Reolysin is the 'magic bullet' that will kill off cancer, but they believe it may offer a way of extending the life of patients given a short time to live.

Reolysin appears to kill off cancer cells by rupturing their walls, creating a chain reaction of 'explosions' which rip through tumours. As the tumours shrink they become less harmful and more easily treatable by chemotherapy.

At the same time, Reolysin seems to 'wake up' the immune system so it can recognise cancer cells as invaders, prompting the body to mount an attack on harmful cells.

[cpforlife.org]

Pro-Life PING

Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks...

[editor-surveyor]

Thanks for the ping -will read later

[Dustbunny]

Wow, this is great news. Hopefully it will turn out to be a ‘magic bullet’.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping...

[Smokin' Joe]

Thanks for the ping!