Targeted viruses may be the next weapon in curing cancer.

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Researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) are continually looking for opportunities to take research from the lab bench—where it is studied, created and perfected—to the bedside where groundbreaking research will improve lives and help patients.

Dr. John Bell is leading a team of researchers who are involved with studying how to treat cancer using viruses. The study of Viral Oncolytic Therapy is something so new that even 15 years ago it would have been considered “something from science fiction, not something feasible for patients” says Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO of OHRI and Vice-President of Research at TOH, “but now we think his innovative, new approach might offer real hope for people who have terminal cancer.”

Dr. Stewart is not alone in thinking that the Viral Oncolytic Therapy Program at TOH is worth watching with a hopeful mindset. “This program has huge potential for patient care,” Stewart says, “and the first clinical trials in South Korea were very promising.” Clinical trials for Viral Oncolytic Therapy began in Ottawa in late May, 2009.

Viral Oncolytic Therapy involves using specific viruses that attack and kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. The idea of Viral Oncolytic Therapy has been around for some time but only recently did technological developments catch-up with existing research. “Now we know that the right virus can infect and harm a tumour without harming the patient,” explains Stewart, “so we have reason to be optimistic.

TOH’s Viral Oncolytic Therapy Program is generating some excitement around the globe from medical professionals and the cancer community. “There is already some positive buzz about the program and the clinical trials scheduled for this year,” says Stewart.

“Working here at The Ottawa Hospital is a real treat for me,” says Dr Bell, “because it is everything I could possibly want to have in order to pursue my research interests.”