Killing Cancer Stem Cells With Viruses
Researchers are starting to build targeted therapies for what are believed to be characteristic cancer stem cell populations. From EurekAlert!: "After identifying an apparent population of cancer stem cells for neuroblastoma, researchers successfully used a reprogrammed herpes virus to block tumor formation in mice by targeting and killing the cells. ... the study [adds] to a growing body of evidence suggesting early stage cancer precursor cells with stem-cell-like properties may explain how some cancers form, are treatment resistant and prone to relapse. The study also underscores the increasing potential of targeted biological therapies ... The main finding of our study is that pediatric neuroblastomas seem to have a population of cells with stem-cell characteristics that we may need to target for therapy ... In the next research phase, the team will try to verify results in the current study by seeing if they can detect the presence of cancer stem cells in primary neuroblastoma tumor cells from patients."
Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/cchm-evt011309.php