Genetically modified HERPES virus doubles life expectancy of children with brain tumors - Daily Mail

But researchers have made progress with an unusual treatment that involves injecting a genetically modified herpes virus into children's brains to infect their tumors, which spurs the immune system to attack.

At least a dozen children have undergone this treatment and lived twice as long as other patients have in the past, doctors reported on Saturday at the virtual American Association for Cancer Research conference.

Jake Kestler (center) who was diagnosed with brain cancer was one of the patients who underwent  new trial at the University of Alabama Birmingham testing oncolytic herpes viruses.

The virus is genetically modified to only infect and kill tumor cells, and spurs a strong response from the immune system to help fight the cancer.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, focused on children who have been diagnosed with glioma, tumors which begins in the glial cells that surround nerve cells and help them function. .

The virus can then continue spreading to other tumor cells. .

In addition, the virus spurs a strong immune system response so the body can recognize the cancer again and also help fight it off?

In such cases, the immune system has lost the ability to recognize and attack the cancer, so scientists at UAB have been seeking ways to make the tumor a fresh target. ?

They turned to G207, which derived from the herpes virus that causes cold sores - and also spurs a strong immune system response. .

The treatment, called oncolytic herpes viruses, was first developed in the 1990s by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital.

When injected through tiny tubes inserted in the tumors, the modified herpes virus enters tumor cells and makes multiple copies of itself.

The virus then kills the initial cells and then releases new particles to hunt other tumor cells. .

Half of the patients received just the virus and the other half got the virus plus one dose of radiation, which is designed to help the virus spread throughout the tumor.   

Tests also showed high levels of specialized immune system cells in their tumors, suggesting the treatment had recruited the help needed from the body to attack the disease. 

The treatment also increases the number of activated cells immune cells to help fight the cancer