In a new study, researchers have developed a new way to fight prostate cancer.
They used a genetically manipulated virus to destroy prostate tumor cells via injection to the body.
The virus also made tumor cells more sensitive to chemotherapy drugs, which could stop tumor progression and almost eliminating tumors in some cases.
The research was conducted by a team from the São Paulo State Cancer Institute (ICESP) in Brazil.
In the study, the team used a combination of gene therapy and chemotherapy to combat prostate cancer.
The gene is called p53, which controls important aspects of cell death and is present in both humans and rodents.
In their experiments, the gene was inserted into the genetic code of a virus. The modified virus was then injected directly into prostate tumors in mice.
They also used cabazitaxel, a drug commonly used in chemotherapy.
The researchers found that the p53 gene was particularly effective at inducing cell death in prostate cancer.
Individual treatments with p53 or cabazitaxel alone had an intermediate effect in terms of controlling tumor growth, but the combination had the most striking result, totally inhibiting tumors.
The findings showed that the modified virus caused the death of the tumor cells it infected and that the combination of the drug and gene therapy resulted in full control of tumor growth.
The team says that the virus cannot be injected into the bloodstream. For the therapy to work, the virus needs to be injected directly into tumor cells.
Using chemotherapy drugs alone in high doses may have strong side effects, such as loss of white blood cells because it impairs the immune system.
The team hopes to refine the new approach in their future research.
The leader of the study is Bryan Eric Strauss, head of the Viral Vector Laboratory at ICESP’s Center for Translational Research in Oncology.
The study is published in Gene Therapy.
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