The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> MEDICINE >> NEWS
Researchers use crippled poliovirus to attack brain cancer

DURHAM, N.C. -- In a daring yet successful experiment to cure deadly brain tumors, researchers have combined the cancer-killing properties of poliovirus together with a harmless genetic coding element from the common cold.

The resulting modified virus created a remarkably strong anti-cancer agent that rapidly killed cancer cells in laboratory cell cultures and in animals -- and without causing polio, said Matthias Gromeier, M.D., assistant professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. Testing of the new viral agent in humans should begin within two years, he said.

In the study, the modified poliovirus rapidly killed cancer cells derived from primary brain tumors as well as cells derived from breast and colon cancer metastases -- all within a matter of four to six hours. In fact, polio is known to be one of the quickest killers of infected host cells, producing approximately a thousand additional infectious viral units per infected cell, he said.

"We made a drug out of a virus by engineering its destructive abilities from a foe into a friend," said Gromeier. His most recent results -- a collaborative effort with Darrell Bigner, M.D., Henry Friedman, M.D., Allan Friedman, M.D., and John Sampson, M.D., of the Brain Tumor Center at Duke -- will be published in the Dec. 9, 2003, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which is currently available online.

The key to Gromeier's success has been disabling the poliovirus' ability to kill normal brain cells while retaining its ability to kill cancer cells in the brain. To do so, Gromeier's team swapped a critical genetic element from the common cold "rhinovirus" with the corresponding genetic element from the poliovirus. The genetic element, called an "IRES" (internal ribosomal entry site), enables a virus to express its own ge
'"/>

Contact: Becky Levine
levin005@mc.duke.edu
919-684-4148
Duke University Medical Center
4-Dec-2003


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related medicine news :

1. Researchers search for first sign of congestive heart failure
2. Researchers say breast cancer in Africa may provide clues to the disease in African-Americans
3. Researchers close in on breast cancer vaccine
4. Researchers discover link between insulin and Alzheimers
5. Researchers model brains electrical storm during a seizure
6. Researchers track programs success in curbing aggressive behavior
7. Researchers confirm Vioxx nearly doubled cardiovascular risks in cancer prevention study
8. Researchers offer emergency workers a lifeline
9. Researchers discover genetic variant that may explain why women develop M.S. more than men
10. Researchers map the sexual network of an entire high school
11. Researchers hope monkeys can provide new insights into depression

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Researchers use crippled poliovirus attack brain cancer

(Date:11/25/2009)...ioSpace.com, the premier resource for life science...on of the BioForest™ Hotbed Campaign this mo...ocus) November 25, 2009 -- BioSpace.com, the premi...on, unveiled the third edition of the BioForest&tr...egional campaign is a promotional effort highlight...
(Date:11/25/2009)...ShareRecordsSafely,ImproveCare ,, WASHINGTON,...ransAffairs(VA)andKaiserPermanentetodayannouncedan...urNation,sheroes.VAandKaiserPermanentearelaunching...informationusingtheNationwideHealthInformationNetw...vices. ,, "Theabilitytosharecriticalhealthinfor...
(Date:11/25/2009).../PRNewswire/--dazzlesmile,llc www.dazzlesmile.com ...ce.com havefileda67-pagefederallawsuitagainstEpicA...llms,FarendServicesLimited,andAtLastFulfillment.Th...tCourtfortheDistrictofUtah,allegesmassivenationalc...dteethwhiteningproducts,violationsoftheRacketeerin...
(Date:11/25/2009)...5/PRNewswire/--DanielTouizer,CEOof Ci n e r g...thinsurancebenefitprograms,isconcernedthatthelabor...einfiveAmericansarewithoutafull-timejobandunlikely...saredeterminedbytheU-6number,whichhasspikedto17.5%... ouizer ."Thesestatisticsarealarmingasitmeansthat...
(Date:11/25/2009)... pathways essential to normal human development - ... receptor (EGFR) pathways - interact in ways that ...searchers from The University of Texas M. D. Ander...Molecular Cell . , This newly characterized inte...to correlate with invasive cancer - activation of ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:BioSpace Showcases Leading Life-Science Companies in the Northwest 2Health News:VA and Kaiser Permanente Invite Veterans to Participate in Health Record Pilot Program 2Health News:dazzlesmile Sues Epic Advertising and Jesse Willms 2Health News:Cinergy Health Commentary on Health Care for the Unemployed 2Health News:Crosstalk between critical cell-signaling pathways holds clues to tumor invasion and metastasis 2Health News:Crosstalk between critical cell-signaling pathways holds clues to tumor invasion and metastasis 3
(Date:11/25/2009)...irstCall/--NuVasive,Inc.(Nasdaq: NUVA ),amedicalde...disruptivesurgicaltreatmentsforthespine,announcedt...30,2009,at5:30p.m.ET/2:30p.m.PT.Theconferencecallw...heCompany,sproductsandwillincludecommentsfrommanag...ial-innumbersare1-877-407-4018fordomesticcallersan...
(Date:11/25/2009)...Reportlinker.comannouncesthatanewmarketresearchrep...nt-GlobalTrends ,, http://www.reportlinker.c...,, Widespreadavailabilityofgenericdrugs,emergen...veacceleratedthepaceofgrowthinthepainmanagementmar...inuetoshapedemandforservices,drugsanddevices.Thema...
(Date:11/25/2009)...NESBURG,November25/PRNewswire/--,iThembaPharmaceut...ay,thattheyhavesignedacollaborativeagreementtojoin...rldclasscomputationalchemistryandleaddiscoveryexpe...rovidemedicinaland,syntheticchemistrysupporttoproj...work.iThembaPharmaceuticalsandPyxisDiscovery,alsoa...
Breaking Medicine Technology:NuVasive Announces Conference Call and Webcast Regarding Reimbursement 2NuVasive Announces Conference Call and Webcast Regarding Reimbursement 3Reportlinker Adds Pain Management - Global Trends 2Reportlinker Adds Pain Management - Global Trends 3Reportlinker Adds Pain Management - Global Trends 4Reportlinker Adds Pain Management - Global Trends 5iThemba Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd and Pyxis Discovery B.V. Announce Collaborative Agreement to Offer a Combined Service Offering 2Next generation microcapsules deliver chemicals on demand 10562 1UD start up company prepares to commercialize novel detector for medical military applications 10557 1UD start up company prepares to commercialize novel detector for medical military applications 10557 2UD start up company prepares to commercialize novel detector for medical military applications 10557 3UD start up company prepares to commercialize novel detector for medical military applications 10557 4InVitria Reports Successful Cell Culture Performance of Zap CHO a Defined and Cost Effective CHO Cell Culture Media Supplement 60242 1InVitria Reports Successful Cell Culture Performance of Zap CHO a Defined and Cost Effective CHO Cell Culture Media Supplement 60242 2
Other News:
...st Hills, NY and Newbury, OH -- An estimated seven...e in the U.S. each year from disease-causing micro...ection from waterborne pathogens, people with comp...ew Purefecta Drinking Water Purifier, introduced t...
...e November/December 2003 issue of Annals of Family...preventive practice that has contributed to the si...al cancer over the past several decades. According...1992, the number of cervical cancer deaths in the ...
WEST HAVEN, Conn. - A study at 17 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals comparing an older, pennies-a-day schizophrenia drug with a newer, far more expensive one found little advantage to the high-ticket d
...RHAM, N.C. -- Elderly women are receiving a large ...cientific evidence of advantage, researchers from ... widespread, general screening in women over age 7...ight be better utilized in higher-risk, underserve...
health news:Purefecta (TM) drinking water purifier from Pall and Kinetico removes pathogens... 2health news:Purefecta (TM) drinking water purifier from Pall and Kinetico removes pathogens... 3health news:Purefecta (TM) drinking water purifier from Pall and Kinetico removes pathogens... 4health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 2health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 3health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 4health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 5health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 6health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 7health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 8health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 9health news:Nov/Dec 2003 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet 10health news:Study questions benefits of costly schizophrenia drug 2health news:Study questions benefits of costly schizophrenia drug 3health news:Study questions benefits of costly schizophrenia drug 4health news:Elderly women over-screened for cancers with little measurable benefit 2health news:Elderly women over-screened for cancers with little measurable benefit 3
... improving outcomes in patients with sudden heart ...harm, according to a review of randomised trials p...by The Lancet. ......Despite the lack of evidence ...ieve the practice of giving patients with sudden S...
..., emerging issues, and state-of-the-art presentati...highlight the program for Preventive Medicine 2006... and other healthcare professionals with an intere... annual meeting for the Washington, D.C.-based Ame...
...ist Frank LaFerla today was recognized as a "Promi...n Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's diseas...ward this year for his significant contributions t...aFerla, a professor of neurobiology and behavior a...
...blic health workforce in Connecticut and beyond is...sasters, acts of terrorism and disease outbreaks, ...t Yale (EPH) will use a $4.5 million, five-year gr...ntion (CDC) to establish the Yale Center for Publi...
health news:Drug treatment before angioplasty or stent placement not beneficial for heart attack patients 2health news:ACPM conference to feature research findings, practice innovations in preventive medicine 2health news:ACPM conference to feature research findings, practice innovations in preventive medicine 3health news:UCI researcher receives MetLife award for Alzheimer's research 2health news:$4.5 million CDC grant funds Yale Center for Public Health Preparedness 2