30 Nov 2015
SCI welcomed Prof Kevin Harrington to present a Public Evening Lecture on Turning Poachers into Gamekeepers: Using Viruses to Treat Cancer on 11 November 2015.
There are a range of viruses that are able to grow in and kill cancerous, but not normal, cells. These ‘oncolytic viruses’ are now being considered as potential targeted therapies for a range of different cancers. There has been a huge increase in clinical trials involving oncolytic virotherapy and the regulatory steps involved in activating new studies are now relatively straightforward – accelerating the development of new viral treatments. For the first time it has been shown that virus therapy can improve outcomes, compared to a control treatment, in patients with advanced melanomas.
In his lecture, Prof Harrington explored the potential for selected viruses to be used to kill cancer cells with increased patient benefit.
Watch the video of the lecture by clicking on the link below.
This lecture was part of our series of Public Evening Lectures for 2015/6. For more details on upcoming and past lectures, please click on the link below.
Prof Kevin Harrington is Professor in Biological Cancer Therapies at The Institute of Cancer Research and a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. He specialises in developing new treatments using viruses that selectively destroy cancer cells. Having joined the ICR in 2001 as Targeted Therapy Team Leader within the Section of Cell and Molecular Biology, much of his laboratory work is immediately translated into clinical trials at the Royal Marsden, which allows him to conduct innovative laboratory research and apply it in the clinical setting, achieving ‘real patient benefit’.
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