Oncolytic Virus (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. An oncolytic virus is a virus that preferentially infects and lyses cancer cells; these have obvious functions for cancer therapy, both by direct destruction of the tumour cells, and, if modified, as vectors enabling genes expressing anticancer proteins to be delivered specifically to the tumor site. Most current oncolytic viruses are engineered for tumour selectivity, though there are a few naturally-occurring ones such as the Seneca Valley virus. A connection between cancer and viruses has long been theorized, and case reports of cancer regression (cervical cancer, Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma) after immunization or infection with an unrelated virus appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. Efforts to treat cancer through immunization or deliberate infection with a virus began in the mid 20th century.