Cold sore virus ‘game-changer’ for skin cancer

A genetically modified cold sore virus could be be made available as a game-changing new treatment for deadly skin cancer within a year, scientists claim.

Extraordinary results from a Phase III trial involving patients with aggressive, inoperable disease have shown that the therapy can eradicate tumours and halt their growth.

The unique treatment combines a direct targeted attack on cancer cells with an immunotherapy approach that primes the body’s own defences to combat the disease.