Focus Areas

Mayo Clinic is targeting cancer on the molecular level by changing the genetic makeup of diseased cells. Gene therapy changes the DNA of cancer cells so that they die, while virus therapy uses the destructive power of viruses to kill cancer cells. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found that viruses are professional gene delivery vehicles and are now able to harness that to develop new treatments for cancer.

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is dedicated to understanding the biology of cancer, to discovering new ways to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, and to transforming the quality of life for cancer patients today and in the future.

Mayo Clinic's Gene and Virus Therapy Program has used several unique research techniques to study gene and virus therapy in the treatment of cancer, and is conducting clinical trials to test the therapy's effectiveness in humans.