Natalie Raso - Weapons of Targeted Destruction: Using Viruses to Kill Cancer
     Conclusions

Project Information

Abstract

Project Summary

Background

Purpose

Scientific Thought

Hypotheses

Apparatus and Materials

Genetically Engineered KM110red Herpesvirus


Methodology

Procedure for Cell-Line Splitting

Procedure for KM110r Infection

Procedure for Immunofluorescent
Microscopy Imaging


Statistical Analyses

Proliferation Assay Analyzed Data

Major Results

Graphed Results

Discussion of Statistics

Controls and Variables

Conclusions

Discussion

Discussion of KM110r Efficacy

Successes and Failures

Sources of Error and Data

Limitations


Future Research

Applications

Glossary

Bibliography

Acknowledgements
 

The first major finding of this experiment verifies that KM110r is able to target and selectively destroy U2OS cells and is not toxic to hFOB cells over the range of temperatures 34°C, 37°C and 39°C where hFOB cells are differentiating, which supports the initial hypothesis.  At 34°C and 37°C, KM110r successfully eradicated all of the cancerous U2OS cells within the experimentation period.  However, KM110r did not effectively destroy all cancerous cells at 39°C incubation, which was an unexpected finding. Furthermore at 37°C the cancerous cells were completely eradicated at time periods 3 and 2 (for trials #1 and #2 respectively), notably earlier than at 34°C incubation.

 

The second major finding is that the results did not support identification of a specific point during in vitro cell differentiation that the hFOB cells were infected by KM110r, rejecting the hypothesis that under 39°C differentiation hFOB cells would become permissive to KM110r. hFOB cells were not permissive to KM110r at any temperature condition. Therefore the results suggest that KM110r is specific for changes leading to tumorigenesis and not to changes leading to normal differentiation. 

 

The hFOB cells, at each of the three incubation temperatures, grew at the same rate regardless of status of infection. There was no significant difference between hFOB infected and uninfected at each temperature condition.

 

Significant changes in the growth curves of U2OS infected cells at all temperatures were documented. These variations were proven to be statistically different.

 

The information generated by this novel experimentation supports that KM110r is selectively oncolytic and is an effective and safe oncolytic virus therapy under normal conditions of cell growth and differentiation.



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