A cancer-killing virus was injected into a human for the first time in new clinical trial. This novel therapy involves using an oncolytic virus, a type of virus that can infect and kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It’s called Vaxinia and is based on a genetically modified smallpox virus.
The virus is designed to recognize special proteins on the surface of cancer cells that normal cells don’t have. The virus bursts open the cancer cell. Then the normal immune system recognizes the foreign tumor proteins and starts killing other cancer cells, including metastases scattered around the body.
Once the immune system is alerted, it would attack new metastases when hidden cancer cells awaken. Dormant hidden cancer cells are a serious problem in breast cancer because they can wake up many years after the original cancer was apparently successfully treated. A woman in my breast cancer support group had a recurrence 17 years after her original treatment and died within a year.
Previous studies have shown that Vaxinia is effective against cell culture and animal models of breast, colorectal, pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers. During the Phase 1 clinical trial, researchers will test the safety and tolerability of Vaxinia in cancer patients by injecting the virus directly into the blood or the tumor.
The Phase 1 trial will include about 100 cancer patients with metastatic or advanced solid tumors who have previously received at least two standard cancer treatments. Phase 1 trials focus on safety. Phase 2 and 3 trials focus on efficacy and dosage.
This was a Phase 1 clinical trial so it will be a long time before it’s ready for use in regular patients…if it actually works. But it’s a great new idea and could be a fantastic game changer. If it works, I would want to get Vaxinia at the first sign of cancer (after removal of the solid tumor) in preference to chemotherapy. The trial is on Stage 4 patients who have run out of standard chemo options but I don’t see any point in waiting if it actually works.
Vaxinia could potentially have Macroeconomic impact, since the lifetime risk of cancer in the population is 40% and the chemo treatments are incredibly expensive. (Not to mention horribly debilitating for the patient.)
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics…
If Vaxinia actually works, I would jump for joy! But shareholders in companies that sell highly-profitable chemo drugs would need to re-evaluate the stock price.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cancer-killing-vir…
Wendy
