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How can they prevent this virus from evolving to replicate in non-cancerous cells? I wonder if that's why they started with a benign virus like herpes.

Very cool, but slightly scarey at the same time.




They are using poliovirus here:

http://www.cancer.duke.edu/btc/modules/research3/index.php?i...

They did investigate the genetic stability of their engineered virus:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2881183/


Reminds me of the start of the movie I am Legend...


I think it is simultaneously amazing and scary that the FDA is starting to approve self replicating organisms in therapies. Bacteriophages are a promising replacement for antibiotics. I wonder if they can follow a similar regulatory path.


Live-virus vaccines are already a thing; in some sense this is just a new application of them as far as the FDA is concerned.


I'm not sure I would call herpes a benign virus. There are strains that will kill you.




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