Chinese scientists claim to have discovered a virus, known as M1, which can kill cancerous cells without harming healthy ones, giving a new hope for the future research and development of cancer treatment.
At this point in time, very little information about the new treatment has leaked. It is attributed to Professor Yan Guangmei of Zhongshan School of Medicine under the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and it is said to have worked well on cells in the liver, bladder colon and rectum in animal tests.
The virus, it is said, can be extracted from “certain kinds of mosquito in the tropical Hainan Province”.
According to the study’s abstract, the virus works by “targeting zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP)-deficient cancer cells.”
A lot more research is needed to see whether animal test results can translate well to human efficacy.
Cancer is an increasing health threat in China which has witnessed changes in life styles and an increasingly polluted environment.
China reports 3.5 million new cases of cancer each year with 2.5 million losses of life due to the disease every year.
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