Modified viruses devour leukemia cells

A virus in the rabies family can be used to successfully cure leukemia in lab mice. Disease bad boys like viruses may be the next big step forward in cancer treatment. Researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have developed a virus-based treatment that successfully targets blood cancer cells in the laboratory and in mice. Viruses are very good at targeting certain cells, and by tailoring a viral treatment to attack cancer cells, researchers found a way to prolong the survival of up to 80 percent of lab mice that received the treatment, with 60 percent effectively cured of leukemia. In comparison, all of the mice with leukemia who did not receive the treatment died. “What we were really surprised about was how much death we were getting in dish with high enough doses that were safe and effective in a non-spreading agent,” study author David...