Scientists Optimistic About New Cure for Cancer

This article was first published on the 16th of November, 2019 by Patrick Carpen.

Cancer is a deadly disease which affects humans of all races, classes and conditions – and one whose cause is relatively unknown. Just about everything from sunlight to red meat has been blamed for cancer – but the theories all fail somewhere along the lines.

For example, people have been advised to wear sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight between 10 AM to 2 PM in order to avoid skin cancer. However, there are people who literally spend their entire days in the sun without sunscreen and never get skin cancer, and on the other hand, there are people who have had little to no exposure to sunlight who have suffered from skin cancer.

The same can be said about red meat and just about every other culprit blamed for this tragic affliction of the human race. The truth: medical professionals have not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of cancer, but they can offer guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of cancer based on present knowledge.

With that being said, millions of humans around the world are diagnosed every day with some type of cancer or the other. Through advanced medical technologies, many of these cancer patients are being treated successfully, and even cured – especially those diagnosed early. Nevertheless, the present fight against cancer leaves much to be desired.

There’s good news: a cure for cancer might be just on the horizon. At least that what’s US cancer expert, Professor Yuman Fong, and Australian Biotech Company, Imugene, are betting strongly on.

So what is it? It’s a newly engineered virus based on the cowpox virus that has been proven to kill every type of cancer cell in a petrie dish. The virus, called CF33, has also been found to shrink tumors in mice giving high hopes that it will be effective on humans.

But the real test begins next year: human trials. A “basket study” scheduled for sometime in the year 2020 will enroll patients with triple negative breast cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, bladder, gastric and bowel cancer. This, researchers hope, will show where the treatment is most effective.

But many potential cures for cancer have failed at the level of human trial. What makes everyone so optimistic about this one?

“There was evidence that viruses could kill cancer from the early 1900s when people vaccinated against rabies had their cancer disappear, they went into remission,” Professor Fong said.

The CF33 virus, which, it is hoped, will destroy just about every type of cancer in humans, has been engineered by US Scientist, Professor Yuman Fong, and it is being developed by Imugene – an Australian Biotech Company which has also licensed the innovation.

Next year, 2020, the first batch of human trials will have the life-saving virus injected directly into their tumors where it is expected to destroy the cancer cells by exploding them.