Measles virus can cure cancer?

Researchers have just revealed evidence of a clinical trial for new cancer treatments, using specially modified large amounts of measles virus.

According to the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, experts at the Mayo Medical Center (USA) have transformed measles viruses so that they become selectively toxic to abnormal plasma cells (myeloma myeloma cells). and call it MV-NIS . The team then injected a single dose of measles virus MV-NIS into the vein of two patients with both bone marrow cancer and myeloma myeloma protein.

The results showed that both patients responded to therapy. They relieved both bone marrow cancer and myeloma protein. In particular, a patient - 49-year-old Stacy Erholtz, has gradually recovered from myeloma and became ill after more than 6 months.

The measles virus is specially modified to poison and attack myeloma cells, but still "forgives" the normal tissue.(Photo: Alamy)

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. The disease has led to the formation of bone tumors and soft tissue tumors. This type of cancer often responds to drugs that stimulate the immune system, but eventually overcomes them and is rarely cured.

The team claims that, although it is only at an early stage of testing, the results suggest that viral therapy may be effective in fighting deadly multiple myeloma cancer. Virus mutations have demonstrated the ability to poison and kill cancer cells, while "forgiving" for normal tissues.

"The method derives from a very simple concept. The virus naturally infiltrates the body and destroys tissues," explained expert Stephen Russel, who led the study.

Russel hopes that his ideas and his colleagues will eventually lead to an entirely new treatment. The team is also testing the measles virus's ability to fight ovarian, brain, and head cancer - neck and mesothelioma.

Experts are producing more MV-NIS virus to prepare for a larger-scale phase 2 clinical trial. They also want to test the efficacy of viral therapy in combination with radiotherapy (iodine-131) in a future study.