Virology and Microbiology

Viral plaques and Oncolytic viruses

Plaques are clear zones formed in a lawn of cells due to lysis by phage. Lysogens begin to grow in the middle of the plaque, giving the plaque a turbid. The morphology of the plaque depends upon the phage, the host, and the growth conditions. Virus quantification is counting the number of viruses in a particular volume to determine the virus concentration. The plaque assay can be used to refine a clonal population of virus. An Oncolytic virus is a virus that specially infects and kills cancer cells. Viral oncology is concerned with treatment of human cancers / tumors with virus particles. Certainly, the infectious nature of specific tumors has important implications in their prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. In the 21st Century, the research on viral oncology field continues to be dynamic, with new significant and original studies on viral Oncogenesis and as a translational research from virology for the treatment of cancer.