News of an effective anti-cancer virus developed in South Korea is extremely welcome.
When injected into cancerous tumors, the virus quickly multiplies in the cancer cells and kills them, the team said.The new adenovirus can target only cancer cells and does not harm normal cells, the team said.
Existing viral treatments fail to kill off all the cancerous cells.
"I believe we have found a way to overcome one of the great obstacles to finding a genetically altered viral cure for cancer," Yun Chae-Ok, one of the researchers, told AFP on Thursday.
Following three rounds of injections, more than 90 percent of cancer cells in the brains, liver, lungs and womb of mice disappeared within 60 days, the team said.
Human trials are next, and then more years of development, but the research sounds very promising. Unfortunately, a cure for cancer will mostly affect those who are already beyond childbearing age, so although it would cause a percentage increase in population due to longevity, it probably wouldn't increase the birthrate in dwindling Western nations.
Please point this out to our state that embryonic stem cells were not necessary to reach this breakthrough.
hln
Thanks for the link to the NJCSD RE: omega-3.
While not as cutting edge as man made virii that target cancer cells, here is a press release published yesterday by the American Association for Cancer Research about the results they have had controlling colorectal cancers with nothing more high tech than grape seed extract. There has been previous research suggesting grape seed extract to have a salubrious effect on various cancers. But this is the first time the mechanism has been described. They have found that a particular protein in the extract that apparently not only freezes the cellular growth cycle of the tumor cells but can even cause cell death among the cancerous cells.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/aafc-gse101606.php