Levitzki stressed that more work is needed and it would be some time before their work could be implemented to treat cancer patients.
In healthy cells attacked by a virus, a protein known as PKR is activated as the result of RNA replication within the affected cell. This protein causes the cell to destroy itself, thus preventing the spread of the virus.
Normally, PKR hibernates, taking no action unless the cell is “provoked” by an invading virus. But the scientists devised a strategy to “trick” cancer cells into “waking up” their PKR without activating it in normal cells.