The big cell
South Korean scientists have developed a genetically modified virus that efficiently targets and kills cancer cells. 'We have found a way to overcome one of the great obstacles to finding a genetically altered viral cure for cancer,' says Yun Chae-ok, one of the Yonsei University researchers. After three rounds of injections, more than 90 per cent of cancer cells in mice disappeared. Clinical trials will begin early next year, AFP reports. The therapy uses a modified strain of the adenovirus, which causes colds, implanted with a human gene related to the production of a pregnancy hormone.
Skin cancer breakthrough
Meanwhile, US researchers have worked out how to hear melanoma cancer cells spreading through the blood, which may lead to a quick screening test for this deadliest form of skin cancer. 'It could take just 30 minutes to find out if there are any circulating cancer cells,' says John Viator, an assistant professor of biological engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia. By aiming a laser at a blood sample, the researchers are able to pick up sound energy from as few as 10 melanoma cells, WebMD reports.
Right on tract
Drinking more than three glasses of red wine a week can cut the incidence of abnormal growths and cancers of the intestinal tract by two-thirds, according to a State University of New York study of more than 1,700 people. It's the latest in a series linking red wine to reduced risks of cancers such as leukemia, breast and prostate - with most attributing the beneficial effects to resveratrol, found under the skin of grapes.