Hybrid virus may help fight cancer

    Using the cell-invading prowess of viruses and the hybrid concepts driving up automobile fuel efficiency these days, local scientists have found a way to light up cancerous tumors in mice like fireflies in the night.

    What sounds like a genetics parlor trick may be an important step toward identifying cancer cells and zapping them before they spread and smother healthy organs.

    By creating a hybrid out of two dissimilar viruses, researchers hope to be able to illuminate tumor cells, making it easier for doctors to target cancers and monitor treatments.

    It also could provide a kick-start to the unfulfilled promise of gene therapy.

    The hybrid virus created by Pasqualini and her colleagues at M.D. Anderson infected nearly 100 percent of the targeted cancerous cells, and the genes they delivered functioned for weeks or even months, a stunning success. The delivered genes produced fluorescent proteins that the researchers could easily see with imaging equipment.

    With the new technique, Pasqualini said, it could be possible for cancer doctors and their patients to know almost immediately whether chemotherapy and other treatments are having any effect on tumors.

    It's worth noting, however, that there have been past successes with small animals that haven't translated into larger mammals or humans.

    Still, the research has garnered the attention of other cancer scientists. Not only does it appear to have solved the problems of targeting and delivery, but the hybrid virus seems to evade the body's immune system long enough to deliver its genetic payload.

    researchers are testing the hybrid virus in dogs with cancerous tumors. Performing the study in large animals is the final step before the hybrid virus can be tested in humans, possibly within a few years.