I'm always really skeptical about reading scientific news in non-scientific publications, but I feel that the experience offers some keen insight to how people consume biology when they presumably haven't learned about it in decades. However, this article puts some emphasis on little known viral facts (at least before I read it). Most notably, it emphasizes that our genome is largely non-coding for protein, yet a rather sizable part of it (8%) is all viral in origin. This normally wouldn't be all that remarkable, but "decoding" the viral genome that has integrated into ours may prove to be useful in inducing a cellular stress response. And that is ultimately what some researchers at Johns Hopkins are trying to do, citing success in reducing tumor size in 20% of patients in a given trial.
This was all amusing to read, but what made me really happy was the final section of the article which specifically mentions that pharma companies are hoping to drug with this approach using epigenetics. One Dr. Baylin says that this therapy is "one possible way" of treating those who don't respond to chemotherapy drugs. The idea is exciting, and I look forward to reading more about the advances they make in anti-cancer, viral therapy. BUT, I'd love to see some of the more technical information, like which viral genes are being expressed? Do immunocompromised cancer patients face a new risk in expressing viral genetic information? Do viruses do more harm than good in this therapy?
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/viruses-might-offer-new-help-in-treating-cancer-1455794655
-Andrew Moreno
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