It provides an interesting possible alternative funding model to the patent driven one. Would be better if there was some breakdown of the costs involved though, and a few more endorsements from scientists of the approach.
https://twitter.com/iCancerVirus
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/occams-corner/2012/oct/08/...
http://www.indiegogo.com/icancervirus <- the campaign page
http://www.netpatientfoundation.org/2012/10/icancer-campaign... <- with a link to a professor's view on this approach and others under development
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9581988/The-cancer-killer-...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9544400/Would-I-takean-unt...
http://mashable.com/2012/10/05/steve-jobs-philanthropy/
Papers (from the Indiegogo page):
PAPER I A novel chromogranin-A promoter-driven oncolytic adenovirus for midgut carcinoid therapy. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17438105>; Leja J, Dzojic H, Gustafson E, Oberg K, Giandomenico V, Essand M. Clin Cancer Res. 2007 Apr 15;13(8):2455-62.
PAPER II Double-detargeted oncolytic adenovirus shows replication arrest in liver cells and retains neuroendocrine cell killing ability. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20111709>; Leja J, Nilsson B, Yu D, Gustafson E, Akerström G, Oberg K, Giandomenico V, Essand M.
PAPER III Adenovirus with hexon Tat-protein transduction domain modification exhibits increased therapeutic effect in experimental neuroblastoma and neuroendocrine tumors. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21957304>; Yu D, Jin C, Leja J, Majdalani N, Nilsson B, Eriksson F, Essand M. J Virol. 2011 Dec;85(24):13114-23. Epub 2011 Sep 28.
PAPER IV Oncolytic adenovirus modified with somatostatin motifs for selective infection of neuroendocrine tumor cells. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21490682>; Leja J, Yu D, Nilsson B, Gedda L, Zieba A, Hakkarainen T, Åkerström G, Öberg K, Giandomenico V, Essand M. Gene Ther. 2011 Nov;18(11):1052-62. doi: 10.1038/gt.2011.54. Epub 2011 Apr 14.