Newswise — Since the advent of cancer therapy, clinicians and patients have sought more targeted treatments that attack tumors while sparing normal tissues. Oncolytic (cancer-killing) viruses represent an entirely new approach to cancer treatment.
Several viruses, including the reovirus, or Respiratory Enteric Orphan virus, have shown a strong preference for killing cancer cells rather than healthy cells, but it is only recently that the science has matured enough to allow scientists and the medical community to pursue oncolytic viruses as safe and effective cancer therapies.
The reovirus is a naturally occurring, fairly benign virus to which most of us have been exposed during our lifetime. A non-pathogenic virus, the reovirus has been used for decades by scientists interested in studying how viruses infect human cells. Researchers at the University of Calgary discovered that the reovirus appeared to have an ability to infect and kill many types of cancer cells, without harming normal, healthy cells.
While the virus can and will enter both normal cells and cancer cells, normal cells have a built-in ability to fight and kill the virus. But up to two-thirds of all cancer cells have an activated Ras pathway, a mutation along a signaling pathway of the cell that leads to uncontrolled growth. When the virus invades this type of cancer cell, the anti-viral response is essentially shut off, and the virus can replicate thousands of times until it actually bursts the cancer cell. Progeny virus particles can then infect and kill adjacent cancer cells.
For those covering novel research approaches towards cancer, Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics, is available to comment on this potential approach to cancer treatment. Dr. Coffey and the research team at Oncolytics are currently testing the company's proprietary formulation of the human reovirus, REOLYSIN®. Phase II clinical trials for a variety of cancers are currently underway at a number of institutions in the U.S. and the U.K.
Biography on Expert:Dr. Matt Coffey, Chief Scientific Officer of Oncolytics
A co-founder of Oncolytics Biotech Inc., Dr. Coffey's current responsibilities include directing the clinical trial program and developing Oncolytics' intellectual property position. Prior to joining Oncolytics, Dr. Coffey completed his doctorate degree in oncology at the University of Calgary with a focus on the oncolytic capabilities of the reovirus. The results of his research have been published in several respected scientific journals, including Science, Human Gene Therapy, and The EMBO Journal.
Dr. Coffey serves as an expert resource on the following:
- Oncolytic viruses- Cancer Research
Dr. Coffey can address the following FAQs: - Is a virus or live biologic safe to combat diseases in humans?- How does the reovirus targets cancer cells?- What is a Ras-activated pathway?- Can the reovirus kill cancer?- How does the reovirus affect normal cells?- Does REOLYSIN work by itself or with other cancer therapies?- Where is REOLYSIN currently being tested?
About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.
Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics. Oncolytics' clinical program includes a variety of Phase I/II and Phase II human trials using REOLYSIN®, its proprietary formulation of the human reovirus, alone and in combination with radiation or chemotherapy. For further information about Oncolytics, please visit http://www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.
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