RESEARCHERS USE HERPES VIRUS TO PREVENT BRAIN DAMAGE

RESEARCHERS USE HERPES VIRUS TO PREVENT BRAIN DAMAGE

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- Neuroscientists have enlisted an unlikely ally in aiding stroke patients: the herpes virus. The virus is being used in experiments at the University of Rochester in New York to prevent brain cells from dying off after a stroke. Researcher Marc Halterman says they use the herpes virus like a taxicab to shuttle genetic material into the brain that convinces the cells to stay alive. He claims the virus is a perfect vehicle for introducing genes into the brain and works much faster than previous "gene shuttles." Having herpes injected into your brain may not sound like a good idea, but there's no real danger involved: Halterman says the virus is disabled so it won't spread to other areas of the body.