For cancer research, the significance of the polyoma-DNA work is that it showed how foreign DNA, invading normal cells, can upset their reproduction so that cancerous offspring .
The polyoma virus, which produces a variety of cancers in many animals, is almost identical in size and complexity to Phi X 174.
Patricia, a lone baby monkey harboring polyoma virus, has her own spotless nursery where she is cared for by Nurse Althea Higgins.