Common Virus May Prove Effective In Fighting Cancer

[Elaine]

Common Virus May Prove Effective In Fighting Cancer

Common Virus May Prove Effective In Fighting Cancer

June 22, 2005 10:53 a.m. EST

Hector Duarte Jr. - All Headline News Staff Reporter

Washington D.C. (AHN) - U.S. researchers indicate a common virus, harmless to people can destroy cancerous cells, and may be developed into a new form of cancer therapy.

The virus is called adeno-associated virus type 2, or AAV-2, and infects roughly 80 percent of the population. Craig Meyers, professor of microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine, says results show AAV-2 kills cancer cells, without harming healthy cells.

He says, "We believe that AAV-2 recognizes that the cancer cells are abnormal and destroys them. This suggests that AAV-2 has great potential to be developed as an anti-cancer agent."

For the study, Meyers and his colleagues infected a batch of human cells with HPV, a cancer-causing wart virus, strains of which have been known to lead to cervical cancer. They then infected those cells with AAV-2.

Six days later, all of the HPV-infected cells had died. The same result occured when tested on cervical, breast, prostate and squamous cell tumor cells.

Meyers adds the fact that AAV-2 appears to have no effect on healthy cells is promising, as therapy would be much easier to endure.