Author: Arthur Orchanian Although chemotherapy and radiation have been the standards for cancer treatment for quite some time now, medical researchers continue to search for more effective and less physically demanding treatments. The Gromeier Laboratory’s research on a mutated form of poliovirus, known as PVS-RIPO, has led to some insight on its ability to combat tumors. As a result, clinical trials of administrations of the virus in cancer patients have begun at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center of Duke University. One of these clinical trials has resulted in a medical breakthrough. Stephanie Lipscomb, a woman with stage 4 brain cancer, had PVS-RIPO administered to her brain tumor, and it disappeared in a matter of months. The tumor was previously unresponsive to chemotherapy and Stephanie was unable to undergo additional radiation. Her life was saved as a result of these clinical trials of PVS-RIPO administration. Through direct injections into tumors, PVS-RIPO kills tumor cells without damaging normal cells. This is due to the fact that PVS-RIPO triggers the body’s immune response to attack the location of the virus in order to eradicate it. If the virus is injected into a tumor cell, then the immune response begins to attack the infected tumor. There has been no documented damage to nerve cells or reversion of the virus to an active state in clinical trials and safety testing so far. This bodes well for the overall safety and reliability of larger-scale administrations of the treatment to cancer patients in the near future. Although PVS-RIPO’s tumor-killing capabilities are primarily being explored in application towards brain cancer, there is evidence suggesting that the virus’ mechanisms can be used to combat multiple forms of cancer. Hopefully, with further research and successful clinical trials, PVS-RIPO can be implemented as a safe and effective cancer treatment in the future. Featured Image: "Polio vaccination a response of a recent" (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by UNICEF Ethiopia |
Categories
All
|