MIT scientists created a drug that can kill almost any strain of virus, while University of Ottawa researchers created one to infiltrate cancerous cells. Finally, the National Institute on Aging successfully extended the lifespan of obese lab mice nearly 1.5 times. Though each of these treatments is still strictly experimental--two yet to reach clinical trials--they foretell an undoubtedly impressive medical future.

Viruses

MIT researchers think they can combat viruses like H1N1 with new research. (Via Creative Commons)

MIT’s Lincoln Lab is currently conducting preliminary tests on a new drug that can target and kill cells infected by at least 15 different viruses, including the common cold.

The drug harnesses the power of cellular actors called DRACOs (Double-stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligomerizers), which identify cells developing double-stranded RNA, a process unique to viruses. The drug then attaches itself to the infected cell and forces it to self-destruct. Cells without this dsRNA are unhurt.

MIT News reported it successful in fighting the H1N1 flu, a polio virus and various types of fever.

DRACO researchers have seen promising results in tests on mice, on which the drug seems to be totally nontoxic. In time, researchers believe, it could be used to counter viruses before large-scale outbreaks like those caused by SARS or H1N1, stopping infections before they become life-threatening.

Cancer

Instead of fighting viruses, scientists at the University of Ottawa have invented their own: a blood-injected virus that targets and kills cancerous cells.

JX-594 modifies the existent smallpox vaccine and attacks only tumors while leaving healthy cells relatively untouched, the BBC reported Wednesday.

The immune systems of 23 trial patients did not attack the JX-594 virus as they did in previous experimental treatments. Instead, the treatment could circulate in the bloodstream and attack cancers in multiple organs. There, the infection stopped tumor growth temporarily in six of the eight patients who received the strongest dose.

These trials were intended to test the safety of the virus, so patients only received one treatment – far too premature a test to call this experiment a cure. Results were visible even in difficult-to-treat cancers like mesothelioma, though. In its earliest stages, this was an enormously encouraging experiment, scientists said.

Obesity and Aging

Half of the U.S. population is expected to be obese by 2030, based on current trends, reported the Washington Post in August. By then, however, extra weight may not affect human lifespan so drastically: A drug in testing at the National Institute on Aging has increased the lifespan of obese mice almost 1.5 times by protecting them from the usual diseases of chronic obesity.

SRT-1720 mimics resveratrol, a trace component of red wine that seems to activate protective proteins. In turn, these proteins have been proven to increase the lifespan of mice on particularly low-calorie diets by about 30 percent, The New York Times stated.

Researchers are still examining SRT-1720 for an effect on normal mice. Currently, though the drug affected overweight mice profoundly, lean mice still definitively outlived those treated with SRT-1720. In other words, though the drug allows obese mice to live a longer and more comfortable life, it’s still healthier to just be healthy.

Drugs similar to SRT-1720 are currently undergoing clinical trials on humans, where scientists are examining their effects on the aging process.

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