Malvern, PA
The nasty thing about viruses is that they're virtually unstoppable. Other than our own immune systems, nothing really fights them off. That's why, as we all know, there's no cure for the common cold.
But what if we could turn the tables and use viruses for our own purposes? What if we could use them like microscopic soldiers to fight, say, cancer? That's exactly what Dr. Paul Hallenbeck of Neotropix is working on. His team has been testing the recently discovered Seneca Valley Virus-001 to discover whether or not it has the potential to kill tumor cells. Of course, it also has to spare healthy cells.
This idea isn't new, and anti-cancer viruses have shown promise in the past. However the Seneca Valley Virus-001 has a special advantage: it can be borne by human blood to all parts of the body. That means it has the potential to fight metastatic cancer.
Dr. Hallenbeck has tested the virus in lab rats with lung and eye tumors, with tremendously promising results.
To read more, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030160940.htm
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