Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV1) in the fight against Brain Cancer

The principle is well established to set a "killer to kill a killer".   But when this is applied to cancer therapy, it offers one of the most radical and potentially far reaching therapeutic advances into the most intractable of cancers.  Studies have been going on at the Institute of Neurological Sciences which involve injecting herpes simplex virus HSV (right) straight into tumor cells in patients seriously ill with brain tumors.  HSV is a common virus, associated with cold sores.  Once an individual is infected, the virus remains in the body throughout life. When it invades the brain, it causes encephalitis and is deadly.

The work undertaken by the research team of Prof.  Moira Brown, has resulted in the removal of a vital gene that confers on the virus the ability to cause encephalitis.  The modified virus is unable to kill normal cells.  It is early days yet.  Initial trials have been encouraging but more research is needed before this technique can be applied routinely.

Professor Brown and her colleagues received a grant of £150,000 from the Neurosceinces Foundation.

"The support of the Neurosciences Foundation was crucial in enabling us to undertake laboratory, and early clinical studies and obtain the industrial support necessary to sustain the HSV technology".

Professor Moira Brown