Treatment of Brain Tumours Using Common Viruses

According to findings of a new study published in Nature, tenacious brain tumours called glioblastomas could be easily beated using cytomegaloviruses, common viruses known from immunocompromised patients.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have shown in their previous study, that the cytomegalovirus (a type of herpesvirus) is widely presented in glioblastoma cells but not in surrounding healthy tissue. The research team supposed to stop the tumour growth by guiding the immune system to attack the unique antigens of the virus in glioblastoma cells.

They exposed white blood cells from 21 patients to parts of the cytomegalovirus, and injected the cells back into the patients. Their preliminary results suggest that this technique is safe and effective. The researchers hope to develop a new vaccine to treat this type of brain cancer.

Source: http://www.nature.com