login
Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Targeting Virus Shows Promise in Treating Cancer
October 31, 2007 at 5:09 PM
Cancer News
The Einstein researchers used a technique called radioimmunotherapy, in which radioisotopes are piggybacked onto antibodies. Once these precision-made molecules are injected into the body, the antibodies home in on a specific protein target and the radioisotope warhead destroys the cell to which the protein is attached. In this research the targets were viral antigens: proteins expressed by virus-infected cells that can cause those cells to multiply out of control and become cancerous.
Nearly 20 percent of human cancers worldwide are caused by preexisting virus infections. Prime examples are liver cancer (caused by hepatitis B and C viruses), cervical cancer (caused by human papillomaviruses) and certain lymphomas (caused by the Epstein-Barr virus). But while antigens on the surface of cells are susceptible to attack by antibodies, the viral antigens associated with cancers typically lurk inside infected cells, so scientists had assumed that antibodies couldnt reach them.
We had a hunch that rapidly growing tumors can outgrow their blood supply, resulting in dead tumor cells that might spill their viral antigens amongst the living cancer cells, says Dr. Arturo Casadevall, Forchheimer Professor and Chair of Microbiology & Immunology at Einstein and co-senior author of the study. So we hoped that by injecting antibodies hitched to isotopes into the blood that theyd be carried deep into the tumor mass and would latch onto these now-exposed antigens. Then the blast of radiation emitted by the radioisotope would destroy the live tumor cells nearby.
|
|
|
 Comment & Contribute
|
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
 | Quiz on Cancer Looking for information on cancer? Go through medindia's Cancer quiz. 
|
- News Quick Links
 |
Cancer
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | Mystery of 'Disappearing' Tweets Solved |
| » | 'Slut Walks' Attract Thousands in Brazil |
| » | Enthusiasm for Tattoos High Among Women |
| » | Individuals' Brains 'Tick Together' If They Have Strong Emotions |
| » | Keeping Emotions in Check and Being Resilient Helps to Remain Satisfied With Life |
| More Life Style News | |
|
