[ad_1]
The idea that poliovirus can be chosen to do good rather than harm is not completely new; The researchers have tried to exploit the power of viruses and bacteria for more than a century. Vaccines are a good example of immune system help for fighting diseases.
But pathogenic viruses are not always easy to pinch, and try to use them to activate the immune system against other things that are not are bacteria and similar viruses cancer, for example, have not been so successful. There is only one approved treatment for the cancer virus, which uses the herpes virus against melanoma.
In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine scientists led by a team at Duke University reported the results of a phase 1 clinical trial in which they showed that 39, a genetically modified polio virus manages to increase the survival of patients with brain tumors, who currently can not cure.
Poliovirus, Brain Cancer Vaccine
Dr. Darell Bigner, Director Emeritus of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center of the University of Duke Cancer Center, and his team designed a vaccine to treat a hard-to-treat brain cancer called glioblastoma. Among a group of 61 persons who did not respond to current therapies, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, only 21% who received the poliovirus treatment lived after three years compared with the 4% who usually survive after this standard treatment
It also reads: Vaccine against brain cancer could provide more years of life
] Treatment
Therapeutic Vaccine is the culmination of 20 years of research by Matthias Gromeier, also of Duke University, who designed the polio virus to be able to activate the immune system – network of functional cells, tissues and organs that defend themselves against germs–, without causing poliomyelitis.
The project uses viruses already partially weakened, such as those used for vaccines, and modifies them genetically. Then they inject it through a catheter directly into the tumor.
"We chose this virus because its mechanisms are very well known, more than those of other viruses."
"It is very effective: it kills the tumor cells with which it comes in contact, it loads the roots of the tumor through the brain and, most importantly, it wakes up a secondary immune response, it attracts the cells defense, from that moment on, they patrol the brain and eliminate all the cancer cells that they have, "summarizes Bigner
The only drawback of the vaccine
The problem is the dose of virus that 39 Too high a dose can cause too much inflammation and put the person's life at risk. In fact, patients who received a high dose had seizures , cognitive problems and other undesirable side effects, so they had to decrease the amount.
In the coming weeks, they will start the phase two trial, where they will combine poliovirus with chemotherapy in patients with recurrent glioblastoma and another in who will apply the vaccine to patients with melanoma and breast cancer.
"We want to improve survival, that more people respond to treatment, and that will surely go through the combination of poliovirus with other therapies and even other viruses," says Bigner.
New England Journal of Medicine / Recurrent glioblastoma treated with recombinant poliovirus
[ad_2]
Source link
