South Korean Scientists Discover Cancer-Killing Virus

Yet another reason for the world to stop Il Kim from going ape shit with his new toys.

The Adenovirus

SEOUL (AFP)—South Korean scientists have said they have developed a new genetically altered strain of virus which is highly efficient in targeting and killing cancer cells.

The new therapy developed by the team from Yonsei University uses a genetically-engineered form of the adenovirus, which normally causes colds.

The adenovirus was implanted with a human gene that is related to the production of relaxin, a hormone associated with pregnancy.

When injected into cancerous tumors, the virus quickly multiplies in the cancer cells and kills them, the team said.

The new adenovirus can target only cancer cells and does not harm normal cells, the team said.

Existing viral treatments fail to kill off all the cancerous cells.

“I believe we have found a way to overcome one of the great obstacles to finding a genetically altered viral cure for cancer,” Yun Chae-Ok, one of the researchers, told AFP on Thursday.

Following three rounds of injections, more than 90 percent of cancer cells in the brains, liver, lungs and womb of mice disappeared within 60 days, the team said.

Clinical tests will be carried out early next year and last 18 months, Yun said.

The research results were published in the October 18 edition of the prestigious bimonthly Journal of the National Cancer Institute in the United States.

Of course this has nothing to do with my trip to Los Angeles, but I think this kind of news is far more worthy of your time than the other fear-driven crap found in the news today.

And So It Begins... kinda

My final move preparations are all through for the most part. I've gotten everything that I own into a space that covers roughly 15 square feet. It's crazy to imagine that my life in terms of material possessions is only that large. Of course I'm leaving a few furniture items behind, but otherwise it's all there. Ridiculous.

Tomorrow I clean off my desk at the office and then I'll be celebrating my last night in Seattle as a Seattlite. Wohoo! I'll truly miss this town. The people in it and the energy is the what I've known my entire life. It's going to be scary to start out in a totally new place.

JC

At least I won't be on my own. Csquared and JC are my roommates. Two ambitious young guys just like me. JC's an accomplished film director as well as my writing partner. He and I are on the exact same wave length as writers and make the perfect duo. The scary part is that it's difficult to differentiate our voices from each other. To have that is truly rare, and probably the main reason that I am moving at this time. JC recently won an MTV Movie Award for his Student Film The Beautiful Lie - No small feat. It's really helped get his foot into the Hollywood door and I'm very grateful that he's confident enough in my writing talent to take me along for the ride. JC's probably got the most potential to be making big things happen in the upcoming year. The guy's ambitious as all hell and really goal oriented. That being said, sometimes his director's mentality can be difficult for me to handle as both he and I have no qualms sticking up for what we believe. We always seem to figure out a solution very quickly though, mostly due to JC's quick thinking and natural leadership qualities.side note: JC's set to get married at the end of this year so don't expect any wild club stories from him - Csquared and I'll try to hold up that end.

Csquared

Unlike JC and I, who met in Elementary School and then lost touch (more on that in later posts), Csquared and I are pretty new acquaintances. As of right now, I couldn't throw him under my friend list yet, but I'm sure that within a few month's that won't be the case. He's coming down to LA along with JC and I in order to start out in the business side of the film equation. Of the three, Csquared has the least connections in LA and I'm more than slightly worried he's going to have a hard time finding an industry job. From my view though, the guy's more than capable of holding his own and I think any prodco would be lucky to have him working for them. In addition, Csquared's a real can do guy, meaning he feels he can do just about anything he sets his mind to. My favorite personal tick of his is that he'll play "devil's advocate" even when he's unaware of it. Oh yeah, Csquared is ridiculously committed to healthy eating and working out so I'm relying on him to get me motivated in that area.

Tonight was "Cigar Club". It's a tradition started by JC, Csquared and AJ - their friend from HS. I was recently let into the club and I'd elaborate about our discussions but the cigar Club's like Vegas - what ever happens in Cigar Club, Stays in Cigar Club. Besides most of it's banal guy talk and truly uninteresting. I will say JC and AJ baked a scrumptious chicken and we had a great time smoking and drinking The Glenlivet. Guy's night rules.