For the first time, a patient is injected with cancer-killing virus treatment in Phase 1 clinical trial.
The technology uses a modified virus to infect the patient. Once inside the host cell, the modified virus replicates and then blasts open the host cell to release thousands of new viral particles that stick themselves to the cancerous cells. The attachments serve as a flag for the patient’s immune system to attack the cancerous cells.
The drug called Vaxinia has shown to be effective in shrinking colon, lung, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic tumors in laboratory tests and animal models. This will be injected intravenously or directly into the tumors.
Interestingly, the same characteristics that make cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy or radiation treatment actually enhance the success of the cancer-killing viruses.
Are you hopeful about this virus treatment for cancer? Let us know your thoughts.