Scientists have created a vaccine that has successfully eradicated skin cancer in some mice, the Mayo Clinic reported Monday. Results from early studies have shown that 60 percent of mice with melanoma were cured in fewer than three months with minimal side effects, thanks to the treatment.
The vaccine was made up of a combination of human DNA from melanoma cells and a cousin of the rabies virus called vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Known as cancer immunotherapy, the treatment used the genetically-engineered version of VSV, which is symptomless in humans, to help target the cancer genes in the body.
Cancer can hide from a normal immune system, but the introduction of an outside virus can help highlight the cancer cells. When the proteins from melanoma skin cancer cells were expressed through the VSV, the immune system was then able to ‘see’ the cancer cells and create T-cell antibodies to target and destroy them.
No comments:
Post a Comment