[ad_1]
While the Zika virus is feared for its ability to severely damage brain development and neurological health, researchers seek to use this power to try to target aggressive brain cancer.
In a report published Tuesday in the journal mBIO, researchers at the University of Texas Medical at Galveston claimed to have successfully used a harmless form of the virus to significantly slow the spread of glioblastoma cells, according to Chron.com.
Pei-Yong Shi, the lead investigator of the study, told reporters that the team had created a vaccine from an inactive form of Zika, able to target glioblastoma stem cells without affecting the neurons of the brain. healthy brain.
The team stripped the ability of the virus to replicate inside the cells, which essentially led its energy to target glioblastoma stem cells.
The surgeon denies negligence in the elimination of women's healthy sex
Shi told Chron.com that his team's study found that glioblastomas develop more slowly in mice injected with glioblastoma and Zika stem cells, and that they will be tested in the near future. in Brazil.
"More work needs to be done, but these results represent major advances toward the development of the Zika vaccine as a safe and effective treatment for human glioblastoma," Shi told Chron.com. "This could be a great example of the ability of science to turn something bad into something useful."
Glioblastoma is the aggressive form of brain cancer that killed Senator John McCain in August. By combining surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, patients generally have between 11 and 15 months to live after the diagnosis.
Source link
