Genetically engineered virus causes total regression of deadly brain cancer.

2003 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have evaluated a new genetically engineered measles virus with the ability to fight glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly form of brain cancer.

"We investigated the antitumor potential of a novel viral agent, an attenuated strain of measles virus (MV) derived from the Edmonston vaccine lineage, genetically engineered to produce carcioembryonic antigen (CEA). CEA production as the virus replicates can serve as a marker of viral gene expression," wrote Loi K. Phuong and coauthors in Cancer Research.

When evaluated in several glioblastoma cell lines, the new virus produced massive cell death within 3 -4 days, primarily by generating apoptosis, or programmed cell death, researchers indicated.

They also administered the therapy intravenously or orthotopically into immunodeficient mice implanted with human glioblastoma multiforme U87 cells beneath the skin or in the brain. Two sets of control mice were treated with ultraviolet light for viral inactivation or left totally untreated.

"There was statistically significant regression of s.c. tumors (p

Tumor regression was also significant among orthotopically implanted animals when therapy was delivered directly into tumors, and survival among those mice was significantly longer than among control treated animals. An investigation of the brains of animals treated with MV-CEA showed that tumor regression was complete, with residual glial scar and hemosiderin-laden macrophages being the only ...