The SV40 Cancer Foundation is an educational organization devoted to raising awareness about a potential link between the

simian The simians, anthropoids, or higher primates are an infraorder (Simiiformes ) of primates containing all animals traditionally called monkeys and apes. More precisely, they consist of the parvorders New World monkey, Platyrrhini (New World mon ...

virus

SV40 SV40 is an abbreviation for simian vacuolating virus 40 or simian virus 40, a polyomavirus that is found in both monkeys and humans. Like other polyomaviruses, SV40 is a DNA virus that is found to cause tumors in humans and animals, but most ofte ...

and human

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. The SV40 Cancer Foundation was founded by Raphaele and Michael Horwin. The Horwin's son Alexander Horwin was born on June 7, 1996, and was given oral

polio vaccine Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated vaccine, inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a attenuated vaccine, weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Healt ...

in November 1997. On August 10, 1998, Alexander was diagnosed with

medulloblastoma Medulloblastoma is a common type of primary brain cancer in children. It originates in the part of the brain that is towards the back and the bottom, on the floor of the skull, in the cerebellum, or posterior fossa. The brain is divided into two ...

, a malignant (cancerous) pediatric

brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

, leading to his death on January 31, 1999. The Horwins contend that the polio vaccine their son ingested was contaminated with SV40, leading to his death. Tests performed at four laboratories on Alexander's brain tissue demonstrated the presence of the virus. The SV40 Cancer Foundation views their mission as raising public awareness of this threat and

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

for more research funding for this area. On September 10, 2003, the Horwins got Congressman

Dan Burton Danny Lee Burton (born June 21, 1938) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , and previously the , serving from 1983 until 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party (United Stat ...

, Chair of the

Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

to hold a hearing into SV40 contamination of vaccines. The United States National Cancer Institute announced in 2004 that although SV40 does cause cancer in some animal models, "substantial epidemiological evidence has accumulated to indicate that SV40 likely does not cause cancer in humans."NIH/National Cancer Institute. "Studies Find No Evidence That Simian Virus 40 Is Related To Human Cancer." ScienceDaily, 25 August 2004. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040825092736.htm.

References

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External links

SV40 Cancer Foundation 'SV40 stands for Simian Virus 40' official websitewebsite in memory of Alexander Horwin
Medical and health foundations based in the United States