X-Message-Number: 10793 From: "Olaf Henny" <> Subject: Re: CryoNet #10784; Reovirus May Cure a Variety of Cancers Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 16:46:07 -0800 Hi All: I have finally obtained a copy of the article, which appeared in the Calgary Herald on Friday, Nov. 13, 1998. I retrieved it from one of my own forur postings each in sci.cryonics and sci.life-extension. I posted them first at 10:48 am and then there times more in intervals fro 1 - 4 hours, when they failed to show up on my news reader (I wished, I could figure out how to make WinVN compatible with Windows 98; - any advice appreciated). They were still not there more than 24 hrs after the last posting, and half of them finally showed up today: Best, Olaf Here is the article: Reovirus May Cure a Variety of Cancers U of C cancer discovery a major 'breakthrough' Virus used to attack tumours Robert Walker, Calgary Herald A promising new cancer cure -- in which tumours are attacked by a virus which kills only cancerous cells --was unveiled by Calgary researchers Thursday. Dr. Patrick Lee and colleagues at the University of Calgary medical school have applied to conduct research on humans within 18 months, and the treatment could be available for a wide range of cancers in five to seven years. "A potential cure, that is exactly what it is," a cautious Lee told a news conference at the medical school. Lee has tested the virus on 25 different types of cancer cells, including breast, brain, prostate and pancreatic cancer. Twenty of the 25 types of cells were killed by the virus. "Lo and behold, when you hit it with the virus, bingo, these kind of cells die," Lee said. "For our cancer program in Calgary, this is the biggest breakthrough we have ever had, and one of the most important we have seen in this country," said Dr. Randy Johnston, director of the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Centre. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in Canadians after heart disease. As many as 128,000 Canadians are diagnosed with cancer each year, and one in four Canadians will die of cancer or related illnesses. Lee's team found that tumours in mice shrank markedly after being injected with the virus. And the more malignant the cell, the more vigorously it was destroyed. Lee and his team believe the virus is attracted to the cancer cells through a biochemical process known as the Ras signalling pathway. In cancer cells, the pathway is highly activated, resulting in runaway cell growth. The virus is attracted to the hyperactive cells and attacks them. After the virus has entered a cancer cell and killed it, it reproduces and enters other cancer cells until all the cancer cells are destroyed, Lee said. Researchers are waiting for permission from the Health Protection Branch of Health Canada to go ahead with tests on human subjects in 12 to 18 months, said Lee, who has worked with the virus for 20 years. The virus is not linked to any human diseases, though it sometimes causes mild respiratory and stomach infections in humans, Lee said. Results of the research program are published today in the prestigious magazine Science. Dr. Peter Forsyth, a brain and cancer specialist who helped with the breakthrough, said that if approved, the therapy will be used in combination with conventional chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Viruses are part of a wave of new cancer treatments. The cold virus is being used as a mechanism to deliver an immune-system gene into the tumours of 30 breast and skin cancer patients. Part of the virus is removed and replaced with interleukin-2 gene, which causes the body to produce T-cells, a defence against diseases, including cancer. Animal studies have found the technique can cure mice of breast cancer. The therapy is already being tested on a small group of human volunteers and the results should be known by spring. The herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores is also being used in a similar fashion and scientists at the University of British Columbia hope to begin test on humans within a year. Lee and his co-workers belong to the University of Calgary cancer biology research group in the Faculty of Medicine. They are part of a team at the U of C and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre which has mushroomed from 12 researchers to a 50-strong world-class group in the last 10 years. The study leading to the discovery was funded by the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Alberta Cancer Board, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and Trans-Canada PipeLines Ltd. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=10793