Particularly promising are the findings of a clinical trial of an innovative cancer treatment that uses a genetically engineered virus to infect and kill cancer cells. The new treatment is based on a weakened herpes simplex virus that has been genetically modified to kill cancer cells.

The findings of the study were announced at a conference of the European Society for Medical Oncology. The head of the British Institute for Cancer Research team, Professor Kevin Harrington, said the results were “impressive” and covered many forms of advanced cancer, including esophageal cancer and a rare form of eye cancer. “It is rare to see such good results in a Phase 1 clinical trial, mainly because it is only done to establish the safety of the treatment. “For this reason, the volunteers who participated in the study suffered from very advanced cancer, for the treatment of which any other treatment was ineffective,” emphasized the professor.

Learn with volunteers

The clinical study involved 39 volunteers. Nine of them received an innovative treatment with genetically modified herpes virus (RP2), while the rest received a new treatment in combination with the anti-cancer drug nivolumab. Malignancies in three of the nine who received only RP2 decreased. Benefits were noted in all seven of the 30 patients who received the combination treatment, while the side effects they experienced were mild. The use of genetically modified viruses will be a powerful weapon in the war against cancer.