Abstract from Fourth National Congress of Virology with International Participation /Days of Virology in Bulgaria Sofia, May 18th - 20th, 2016

Hristo Odisseev

National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases

There was published report in the 19th century that in children suffering from leukemia a measles infection improved their cоndition. But this fact didnnot impress healers and researchers. It was not until the end of the 20 th century, with the increased knowledge of tumors and viruses that the idea of using the latter for treatment of cancer attracted the attention of scientists. Since the beginning of the present century there has been an avalanche of publications on testing the impact of viruses on tumors.

As a research subject scientists have used cell cultures and transgenic mices implanted with different types of human tumors, which are being targeted successfully by viruses. And, finally, this has been applied in human subjects.

This article examines in more detail the research conducted by a team in Mayo clinic in Rochester, USA, on the effect of the vaccine measles virus on Multiple Мyeloma. In its work, the team formulates the basic requirements for viral treatment : safety for healthy cell; clarifying of the mechanisms of penetration, reproduction and destructive action of the virus on cancer cells. The obtained results, which have been conformed by other teams, laid the beginning of a new medical specialty, oncolytic virusоtherapy.