Measles vaccine virus to treat cancer

[Guest guest]

When Scandinavian researchers reported that people who had contracted measles naturally during childhood had a lower incidence of certain cancers and autoimmune conditions such as asthma, that information was ignored. But when the measles VACCINE virus is shown to be able to kill cancer, meaning that drug companies can profit from this technology, all of a sudden everyone wants a piece of the action. The irony is palpable.Modified measles virus shows potential for treating childhood brain tumors. - NewsRx Health & Science | HighBeam Research The use of modified measles

virus may represent a new treatment for a childhood brain tumor known

as medulloblastoma, according to a new study appearing in

Neuro-Oncology. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant

central nervous system tumor of childhood, accounting for about 20

percent of pediatric brain tumors. These tumors are located in the

cerebellum, the area of the brain that controls balance and other

complex motor functions. Refinements in treatment have increased the

5-year survival to close to 70 percent, but treatment still involves

invasive surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. "There

is still an urgent need to investigate alternative therapeutic

approaches that are more effective and have less toxic side effects,"

said study lead author Corey Raffel, MD, PhD, chief of Neurosurgery at

Nationwide Children's Hospital and a faculty member of The Ohio State

University College of Medicine. Vaccine strains of measles

virus have been used to kill tumor cells in a number of tumor types

including one type of adult brain tumor. One vaccine strain of measles,

the Edmonston strain, targets the cell surface receptor CD46 to gain

entry into susceptible cells. "This preference most likely explains the

efficacy of Edmonston strains in killing tumor cells, given the high

level of expression of CD46 in multiple tumor types," said Dr. Raffel.

"It is also the reason we chose to explore a modified Edmonston's

strain of measles virus for use in medulloblastoma." The team's laboratory studies revealed that established medulloblastoma cell lines express the measles receptor, CD46 and that medulloblastoma specimens removed from patients have a high level of CD46 expression.

"Other oncolytic viruses have been explored as possible treatment

modalities for medulloblastoma," said Dr. Raffel. "The fact that all of

the surgical medulloblastoma specimens that we examined expressed the measles virus receptor leads us to believe that measles virus may have some advantages over other viruses." Having demonstrated receptor expression, the team treated the medulloblastoma cell lines with the modified measles virus. Within 72 hours, all cell lines exhibited significant tumor cell death. The team also administered the modified measles

virus to mouse models of medulloblastoma, administering treatment every

other day for 10 days. By the end of the study period, pathological

review of the animals confirmed that two of the animals were free of

tumor and the third had a very small amount of residual tumor. In eight

of the eleven mice the primary tumor was eradicated. "Our study demonstrates that a modified measles

virus has therapeutic potential in the treatment of intracerebral

medulloblastoma," said Dr. Raffel. "These results provide initial data

to be pursued with additional studies toward the goal of using the

virus in a clinical trial for the treatment of medulloblastoma. Measles

virus therapy could be applied to the tumor bed following surgical

resection to target microscopic residual disease. This approach could

potentially alleviate the need for radiation and chemotherapy." The data also suggest that the measles

virus may be a potential therapy for tumors that have spread to the

cerebral spinal fluid. "When tumor cells gain access to the cerebral

spinal fluid and the subarachnoid space, current therapy is largely

ineffective," said Dr. Raffel. We have preliminary data in the lab

demonstrating efficacy of measles virus in treating disseminated tumor in a mouse model of CSF disease.

Researchers now plan to investigate the optimal dose schedule for

injection of the virus. They also intend to examine how modifications

of the virus might lead to more effective treatment of the tumor.

"Overall, the results suggest that use of modified measles virus may represent a new treatment for medulloblastoma," said Dr. Raffel.

Meryl Doreymeryl@...Australian Vaccination NetworkLiving Wisdom magazineInvestigate before you vaccinate02 6687 1699 - Work02 6687 2032 - FAXWHAT PART OF "PRO INFORMATION - PRO CHOICE" DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?The AVN is a Charity Authority Holder (CFN11694).We rely on the help and support of our members and subscribers to continue offering our services freely and without prejudice.Please consider helping us by subscribing to Living Wisdom and joining as an AVN member. Go to http://www.avn.org.au to subscribeWe also sell books and information packs. Go to http://avn.org.au/catalog/ for more details.The information contained in this email communication may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, re-transmit, copy, distribute, or act in reliance on this information if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us by return email and destroy any electronic or paper copy of this message. Any views expressed in this email communication are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the views of this organisation or its representative. The Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) and Living Wisdom magazine do not represent, warrant or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained nor that the communication is free of errors, virus or interference. The AVN and Living Wisdom magazine are not responsible for the results of any actions taken on the basis of information in this email, nor for any error or omission and they expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by any person in whole or partial reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this email. If medical advice is required the services of a competent professional should be sought. Remember - vaccination is not compulsory in Australia - the decision about whether to vaccinate is yours and yours alone.