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Found this in one of the many health related e-news letters I get: When most people hear the word "virus," the first images that come to mind are not likely to involve healing and renewal. However, according to a landmark study presented at the American Society of Virology annual conference, a common virus may hold the key to the future of cancer therapy. Researchers in the laboratory setting found that the virus known as AAV-2 effectively killed off tumor cells that can cause cervical, breast, prostate and a variety of other cancers. The virus is otherwise harmless to humans and is estimated to already be present in 80 percent of the population. Perhaps most remarkably, the study found that while AAV-2 killed off cancerous cells, it had no effect on the surrounding healthy cells. Researchers plan to continue studying AAV-2 and its potential in gene therapy. close
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