Feline Leukemia May Provide Pathway For Curing Human Diseases

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Article Date: 05 Dec 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are studying how feline leukemia viruses (FeLVs) - one of the leading causes of death in young cats - can be used to treat human diseases.

Led by Dr. Chetankumar (Chet) Tailor, scientist in the Cell Biology program at SickKids Research Institute and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, this CIHR-funded project will examine whether FeLVs can transport genetic material directly into a patient's cells to counter genetic deficiencies and to treat a variety of human diseases, including AIDS, infant anemia, neurological disorders and cancer.

Did you know? Feline leukemia viruses deliver foreign genes into the cells they infect, making them a potential tool for gene therapy - a procedure in which healthy genes are inserted into cells carrying a defective gene, or toxic genes are used to destroy cancerous cells.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

The CIHR is the Government of Canada's health research funding agency, and is involved in׃

-- Supporting the work of more than 11,000 researchers and trainees in universities, teaching hospitals, and research institutes across Canada

-- Developing high-quality people, excellent science and training the next generation of health researchers

-- Funding research that improves Canadians' health, health care system and quality of life

-- Fostering commercialization, moving research discoveries from academic setting to the marketplace

-- Allocating 94 cents of every dollar directly to fund Canadian health researchers

Source
David Coulombe
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
http://cihr-irsc.gc.ca

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