Engineering Viruses that Only Replicate in Cancer Cells

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/06/engineering-viruses-that-only-replicate-in-cancer-cells/

One of the many interesting approaches to targeting cancer cells for destruction is the use of viruses that are largely innocuous to humans, but replicate preferentially in cells exhibiting the characteristics of cancer, such as continual cellular replication. Researchers here demonstrate a way to engineer a virus to require the biochemistry of cell replication for it to also replicate, ensuring that it will affect only cancerous tissue.

Much research in recent years has investigated genetically modifying adenoviruses to kill cancers, with some currently being tested in clinical trials. When injected, these adenoviruses replicate inside cancer cells and kill them. Scientists are trying to design more efficient viruses, which are better able to target cancer cells while leaving normal cells a…

What Do You Think?

comments