Viruses that Kill Cancer-2.

Now with some irony viruses are being turned against cancer. The viruses being used are either naturally harmless to normal cells or are genetically modified so that they are benign.This class of re-engineered viruses are called oncolytic (cancer killing) viruses. These therapies are a combination of elegant design, hard work and luck.

The vast potential for viruses as a "magic bullet" against cancer is currently driving research in this area. Current cancer therapies have side effects because they are toxic to normal cells as well as to tumor cells. Chemotherapy and radiation are used because they kill the cancer cells more effectively than they kill normal cells.The hope for virus-derived therapies is that they will be less toxic to normal cells while being effective cancer killers.