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Virotherapy
By: Matt Dry
How Viruses Work
• Viruses are basically DNA code with a
protein shell
• Viruses attach to cells using different
“hooks” that latch on to different cells.
• Viruses alter a cell, using it’s resources to
copy itself as much as possible, often
destroying the cell
Engineering Viruses
• Virotherapy seeks to engineer the hooks
on Viruses so that they only attack cancer
cells
• Another approach is to use viruses to
deliver chemotherapy directly to a cell
Impediments
• One main problem with virotherapy is the
immune system
• Delivery through direct injection vs. IVs
• Observation of engineered viruses in the
body
Overview
• Virotherapy is a relatively young field that
shows great promise to help or even
replace chemotherapy.
• Potentially, you may be able to treat
cancer with as little as a series of
injections with little to no side effects.