Cancer-busting virus

Viruses are simple in structure: a small amount of genetic material wrapped in proteins and lipids.
Just 20-200 nanometres in size, they can only be detected with an electron microscope.
Yet, their ability to hijack living cells and exploit them for multiplication is what makes viruses unique.
They often destroy their host cells in the process, and that’s when animals and humans get sick.
Scientists have genetically modified the herpes simplex virus type 1 in such a way that it can be used to fight tumor cells.

Herpes Virus

The herpes virus is known for the painful, unsightly blisters it causes on the lips.
It can also induce encephalitis, especially in those with a weakened immune system.
The genetic material of the herpes virus consists of DNA, not RNA as in the case of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Technology used

The core technologies needed to genetically modify herpes viruses already exist especially as a result of the development of the Covid Vaccine.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is based on adenoviruses, which cause colds in chimpanzees but are harmless to humans.
The modified viruses pass the information required to develop vaccine antigens into human cells, at which point SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies are formed.
This aspect of genetically modifying the virus is used to manipulate the herpes viruses to incorporate a target control.
This ensures that our viruses enter cancerous cells when we inject them directly into the tumor, rather than healthy ones.
They then multiply and cause the cells to burst.
This process releases tumor markers that enable the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.
In addition, the immune response is activated with specific proteins that the viruses release when they reproduce.
The immune system then recognises the tumor cells and eliminates them.
The herpes simplex virus has another decisive advantage over other viruses —one can press an “emergency stop button” using a tried and tested antiviral drug.