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    Home > Active Ingredient News > Drugs Articles > What is oncolytic virus?

    What is oncolytic virus?

    • Last Update: 2020-04-03
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    As the name suggests, oncolytic virus refers to a virus that can kill cancer cells Oncolytic virus theory is a relatively new field of oncology research, because in 2011, some viruses were found to have an impact on some cancers It has been found that genetically engineered virus can infect tumor cells, but it does not affect healthy cells Viruses are tiny organisms that need cells from another organism to replicate In fact, viruses are so simple: Chains of one or two nuclear materials, and a protective envelope that some scientists don't see them as living things It should be known that the simplicity of the virus is of practical significance because it uses little energy to maintain its integrity or to make new virus particles But it also means that viruses need to enter the cells of other organisms to use their cellular mechanisms for reproduction To do this, viruses use a portion of the relatively small chain of genetic material for gene products to help them invade cells and hijack cell mechanisms When the virus successfully enters the cell and forces it to replicate the virus, the new virus particles then enter the environment through the open cell This process is called cytolysis or oncolysis Normally, the virus attacks not healthy cells, but tumor cells With the advent of molecular biology and genetic engineering in the late 20th century, scientists have found a way to make viruses attack tumor cells preferentially If the research finds that the virus can destroy some tumor cells, it can be called oncolytic virus Human cells generally contain complete genes Cells read the information in these genes to produce necessary cell products Because the human body contains many different cell types, from nerve cells to skin cells, the products necessary for cells are usually different from other cells Even if the initial tumor cells are the same as the adjacent cells, the tumor cells have different shapes with the surrounding healthy cells This is because of the abnormal replication of tumor cells, which requires more construction molecules than non dividing cells It is this difference in cell morphology that scientists use to adjust the virus to target cancer cells specifically For example, a virus that lacks a normal gene for a specific product needs to replicate, but cannot replicate in cells that do not produce the gene Replication causes the cells to dissolve and the tumor to shrink Natural viruses with potential applications in cancer treatment include herpes simplex virus type 1, adenovirus and reovirus Usually, because they can naturally infect humans, they are chosen by scientists as human pathogens to test their ability to kill tumor cells Sometimes, these viruses are also designed to remove genes that are not helpful or harmful to patients.
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