• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Scientist treated her own stage 3 cancer with viruses she grew in the lab

Home> News> Health

Published 15:40 11 Nov 2024 GMT

Scientist treated her own stage 3 cancer with viruses she grew in the lab

The scientist was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2020

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

A scientist remarkably treated her own stage three cancer with viruses she was growing in the lab.

Those who have been diagnosed with cancer will more often than not receive treatment (whether it be chemotherapy or something else) from a medical professional at a hospital or healthcare centre.

But when Beata Halassy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, she went down a different path.

As per Nature, the scientist discovered she had the disease at the site of a previous mastectomy, which was a second reoccurrence in the area since she had her breast removed.

Advert

Anyone that has had chemotherapy can tell you about the brutal after-effects that come with it, and Beata didn't want to go through that again.

So, the scientist decided to take matters into her own hands in the form of an unproven test - which was certainly a big risk in practice.

Beata Halassy treated her own cancer (Ivanka Popić)
Beata Halassy treated her own cancer (Ivanka Popić)

Beata self-administered a treatment called oncolytic virotherapy (OVT), and a case report published in Vaccines revealed how she did it.

Advert

An abstract from the report explains: "Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are an emerging class of cancer therapeutics that offer the benefits of selective replication in tumour cells, delivery of multiple eukaryotic transgene payloads, induction of immunogenic cell death and promotion of antitumour immunity, and a tolerable safety profile that largely does not overlap with that of other cancer therapeutics.

"To date, four OVs and one non-oncolytic virus have been approved for the treatment of cancer globally although talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) remains the only widely approved therapy."

Essentially, the treatment uses viruses to attack cancerous cells and influence the immune system in fighting them, like it would with any other illness.

The scientist used viruses in the lab (Getty Stock Photo)
The scientist used viruses in the lab (Getty Stock Photo)

Advert

Beata is in no way an expert in OVT, but her knowledge in the area of viruses allowed her to create a successful treatment plan.

That's right, the scientist has been cancer-free for four years following the successful implantation of the treatment.

She targeted her tumor with two different virus: a measles virus that was swiftly followed by a vesicular stomatitis virus.

While also attacking the cancer, Beata reported no major side effects, as oncologists monitored her self treatment.

Advert

Of course, with any new treatments ,there are always questions as to whether it's ethical.

Jacob Sherkow, a medicine researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said: "I think it ultimately does fall within the line of being ethical, but it isn’t a slam-dunk case."

Featured Image Credit: Ivanka Popić/Getty Stock Image

Topics: Cancer, Health, Science

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
6 hours ago
7 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Cult classic film removed from Disney+ over controversial scene that had it banned from TV

    The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has long expressed its concerns about the scene in the 1989 movie

    Film & TV
  • 6 hours ago

    Vin Diesel hints Paul Walker could be in upcoming Fast and Furious movie and it's left fans very divided

    He's desperate to reunite Dom and Brian

    Film & TV
  • 6 hours ago

    Trump supporters are revealing the ‘red line’ that would make them stop supporting him and people say it’s ‘disturbing’

    President Trump's shocking approval ratings were recently released

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Starbucks customer outraged after barista allegedly wrote 'illegal' joke on her cup

    "When I read it I’m like, OK. Was I supposed to laugh?"

    News
  • Doctors 'dismissed' woman's common symptom before she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer which spread to brain
  • Woman shares bizarre symptom she ignored before being diagnosed with stage four cancer at 35
  • Woman, 28, shares symptoms doctors dismissed 9 times before being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer
  • Woman was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after ignoring ‘embarrassing symptom’ for months