Dr. Shashi Gujar, cancer researcher and professor at Dalhousie who specializes in immunotherapy, along with pioneers Dr. Guido Kroemer of the Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers in Paris and Dr. John Bell of the University of Ottawa, have just released a paper in the journal, Nature Protocols, that provides standardized guidance on oncolytic virus design, production and testing in cancer immunotherapy, which is a type of cancer treatment that helps the body’s immune system fight cancer.
The paper describes OVs as a novel class of cancer immunotherapy agents that infect and destroy cancer cells, while also providing a secondary benefit of promoting protective antitumor immunity.
“Our immune system is designed to recognize threats in a very specific manner. When we are infected with a virus or bacteria, our immune system can immediately recognize them as ‘foreign’ and mount an effective immune response to eliminate them” says Dr. Gujar. “This is an amazing technology and has so much potential. However, we need to make sure that this technology gets developed with stringent standards at the global stage. This will ensure that this amazing anti-cancer drug is developed in a proper manner and reaches cancer patients faster.”
Read the full article: Harnessing the power of viruses to kill cancers – Dal News – Dalhousie University