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ALERT A HUGE BREAKTHROUGH IN
THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER.
CBS 4 ANCHOR ELLIOT RODRIGUEZ
JOINS US FROM THE CONTROL ROOM.
Reporter: THIS IS VERY
EXCITING AND SAYS -- IT'S AN
EXPERIMENTAL DRUG TO USE THE
POLIOVIRUS TO TREAT AN
AGGRESSIVE BRAIN CANCER.
IT'S BEEN GRANTED BREAKTHROUGH
STATUS OF THE FDA TO GET FAST-
TRACK THERAPY TO MORE PATIENTS.
CBS HAS BEEN FOLLOWING CLINICAL
TRIALS WHICH INCLUDED 25-YEAR-
OLD NURSING STUDENT. STEPHANIE
HAD A BRAIN TUMOR THE SIZE OF A
TENNIS BALL.
DIAGNOSED WITH RECURRENT
GLIOBLASTOMA SHE WAS TOLD SHE
HAD MONTHS TO LIVE.
FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE SHE OPTED
TO BECOME THE FIRST VOLUNTEER
FOR DUKE UNIVERSITY'S
EXPERIMENT WITH THE POLIOVIRUS.
THE VIRUS IS THE CREATION OF
MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST HE
REENGINEERED THE VIRUS MOVING A
KEY GENETIC SEQUENCE.
THE VIRUS CANNOT SURVIVE THIS
WAY SO HE REPAIRED THE DAMAGE
WITH A HIGHER PLACE -- HARMLESS
BIT OF COLD VIRUS.
THIS CANNOT CAUSE PARALYSIS OR
DEATH BECAUSE IT CANNOT
REPRODUCE IN NORMAL CELLS.
IN CANCER CELLS IT DOES.
IN THE PROCESS OF REPLICATING
IT RELEASES TOXINS THAT POISON
THE CELL.
THIS ALSO AWAKENS THE IMMUNE
SYSTEM TO THE CANCER IT NEVER
NOTICED BEFORE.
60 MINUTES HAS BEEN FOLLOWING
THIS RESEARCH FOR TWO YEARS.
WHY DIDN'T THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
REACT TO THE CANCER TO BEGIN
WITH?
ALL HUMAN CANCERS DEVELOP A
SHIELD -- A SHROUD OF
PROTECTIVE MEASURES THAT MAKE
THEM INVISIBLE TO THE IMMUNE
SYSTEM.
THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT WE TRY
TO REVERSE WITH OUR VIRUS.
BY INFECTING THE TUMOR WE ARE
ACTUALLY REMOVING THIS
PROTECTIVE SHIELD AND ENABLING
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO COME IN
AND ATTACK.
Reporter: IT APPEARS THE
POLIO STARTS THE KILLING BUT
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM DOES MOST OF
THE DAMAGE.
STEPHANIE'S TUMOR SHRANK FOR 21
MONTHS UNTIL IT WAS GONE.
THREE YEARS AFTER THE INFUSION
SOMETHING UNIMAGINABLE HAD
HAPPENED.
THIS IS FROM AN MRI IN AUGUST
2014.
THERE IS NO CANCER IN THIS
PICTURE AT ALL.
WE DON'T SEE ANY CANCER