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BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

DNA traces of ancient viruses may aid in fighting cancer: Study

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 17 Apr 2023 12:04
2 Min Read

Infections of ancestors lying dormant in DNA can be stimulated to aid the immune system in attacking tumors.

  • x
  • Petri dishes are pictured in an unknown location in a Cancer Research UK laboratory on an unknown date. (Reuters)
    Petri dishes pictured in an unknown location in a Cancer Research UK laboratory on an unknown date (Reuters)

A new study found that remnants of ancient viruses that have been passed down by humans over thousands or even millions of years may aid in the fight against cancer.

To understand why some patients respond to immunotherapy more favorably than others, researchers at the Francis Crick Institute were examining lung cancer, the biggest cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

They discovered through their study, which was just published in Nature, that malignant cells can trigger the dormant remnants of ancient cells. This could unintentionally assist the immune system in identifying and attacking the tumor.

The "fascinating" discoveries, according to scientists, could be used to improve cancer treatment or possibly prevent lung cancer in some cases.

The immune response in question featured white blood cells called B lymphocytes (B cells), which gathered near tumors. According to the researchers, this happens because cancer reactivates the viral DNA, which draws the immune system's attention.

"The immune system is tricked into believing that the tumor cells are infected and it tries to eliminate the virus, so it's sort of an alarm system," Professor George Kassiotis, head of the Laboratory of Retroviral Immunology at the Francis Crick Institute, said as quoted by a British media outlet.

Read next: New cancer treatment offers hope to patients out of options

  • ancient viruses
  • DNA
  • immune system
  • Cancer

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Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

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  • 19 Aug 2025
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  • 18 Aug 2025
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Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

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  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

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