Million-year-old viruses help fight cancer, say scientists
Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2023 7:30 am
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By James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent
Relics of ancient viruses - that have spent millions of years hiding inside human DNA - help the body fight cancer, say scientists.
The study by the Francis Crick Institute showed the dormant remnants of these old viruses are woken up when cancerous cells spiral out of control.
This unintentionally helps the immune system target and attack the tumour.
The team wants to harness the discovery to design vaccines that can boost cancer treatment, or even prevent it.
The researchers had noticed a connection between better survival from lung cancer and a part of the immune system, called B-cells, clustering around tumours.
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