By AP/KWMU
St. Louis – Researchers at Saint Louis University have developed a genetically engineered virus similar to a common cold that they believe can kill cancer cells in the lung and colon while leaving healthy cells undamaged.
Researcher William Wold says the therapy could eventually offer an option for many cancer patients, or could be used in combination with other cancer-fighting efforts.
Details of the study are published in this month's Cancer Research.
Since the mid-1990s, Wold and his colleagues have been seeking ways to convert the relatively benign "adenovirus," which causes symptoms similar to the common cold in children, into an anti-cancer drug.
The treatment could be ready for testing in humans in 12 to 18 months.