The artificial pathogen precisely identifies cancer cells through specific markers on the tumor surface, bypassing normal, healthy cells. Once successfully inside a malignant cell, the virus hijacks the cell's machinery, reproduces continuously, and eventually ruptures the cell membrane to escape, leading to tumor cell death. This process releases tumor-specific fragments, which the body recognizes as alarm signals. The immune system then mobilizes natural defense cells to attack the original tumor and actively seek out and eliminate scattered metastases throughout the body.

This breakthrough was announced by the TASS news agency on 27/4. Anastasia Pak, a member of the research team, confirmed that this specialized virus does not exist in nature; instead, it was directly created by experts in the laboratory.

Illustrative photo: TASS.

Illustrative photo: TASS.

The research team tested two versions of the virus, a natural type and a gene-modified type, in vitro. They used healthy human skin and connective tissue cells for direct comparison with lung adenocarcinoma cells. Results showed that both versions effectively destroyed cancer. However, only the gene-modified version preserved the viability of surrounding healthy tissues.

In the future, scientists plan to combine this innovative virus with chemotherapy to evaluate its potential to enhance treatment efficacy.

Binh Minh (via TASS)