Directing Cancer Cells to Self-Destruct Through Vectoring Engineered Viruses

Abstract

A system and method that identifies and causes cancerous cells to self-destruct by using an engineered virus to vector and distinguish cancerous cells from normal cells through metabolic and other biometric signatures inherent in cancerous cells, identifies, binds and inserts itself into the cancer cell thereby causing the cell to identify and highlight itself as a target for natural intracellular and systemic cell-eradication pathways. Upon confirmatory binding, these engineered vectors, that specifically identify and target only cancer cells through binding to and then being absorbed into the cancer cells, fix the body's natural defenses that cancer cells evaded as part of cancer's progression to activate multiple paths for precisely targeted destruction of the hyperproliferating cells. In the development stages, the cancer cell must intensify its metabolism to support the prolific growth and at the same time the transforming cell must debilitate the intracellular and systemic checks against uncontrolled cell growth that the body has developed to maintain homeostasis. The vector of this invention is engineered to identify and bind cells expressing the intensified metabolic signatures required for cancer's growth, and then by inserting into the cell, to trigger natural intracellular defenses that, in responding to the vector, also prevent continuing metabolism of the cancer cell. The vector initiates dormant metabolic pathways that will, when activated, support eradication of the targeted cell through its natural apoptosis. Several of the compounds induced in response to the vector entry into the target cell also unleash a systemic effect by migrating to the cell membrane where: a) they serve as tags or markers of the infected cell; and b) by releasing cytokines, guide powerful killing cells from the immune system to the tagged cell. These natural processes provide additional backup measures to complete the destruction and removal of the targeted cancer cell.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.