Medical Express: Two viruses may work together to eliminate tumors

Medical Express: Two viruses may work together to eliminate tumors.   Progress in therapeutic cancer vaccines, Two viruses may work together to eliminate tumors. Eliminate tumors or slow down tumor growth. 

Research by the University of Basel research team in the journal Cell Reports Medicine shows that researchers are conducting clinical research tests on a promising therapeutic cancer vaccine, using two different viruses as vectors to treat cancer in experiments The mice were injected with specific tumor components to stimulate the immune system to attack the tumor.

The use of the immune system to fight cancer forms the basis of many modern cancer treatments. Therapeutic cancer vaccines are a type of cancer immunotherapy: after diagnosis, experts determine which components of the tumor can be used as the identification features of the immune system, and then inject these into the patient through the vaccine The ingredients trigger the patient’s immune response to tumors to the greatest extent.

As a carrier, viruses that are harmless to the human body transport characteristic tumor molecules into the human body. However, many previous attempts at this cancer therapy have failed due to insufficient immune response. One of the difficulties is that tumors are composed of the body’s own cells, and the immune system has taken safety precautions to avoid attacking these cells. In addition, immune cells attack “foreign” viral vectors more strongly than the body’s own cells. So far, almost all cancer therapies of this type are under development, but the expected effect on tumors has not yet been achieved. In terms of effectiveness, finding a suitable carrier is as important as selecting the tumor component as the point of attack.

The research team led by Professor Daniel Pinschewer of the University of Basel found in previous studies that viruses from the arenavirus family are very suitable as vectors to trigger a strong immune response. The combination of two different arenaviruses produced promising results in animal experiments.

Researchers focused on the Pichinde virus and lymphocytic choroid meningitis virus, two distantly related viruses, and transformed them into vaccine vectors through molecular biology methods. When they inject selected tumor components into one virus first, and then inject another virus, the immune system turns from attacking the vector to the substance on the vector. Pinschewer. explained that by using two different viruses in sequence, we focused the triggered immune response on the actual target-the tumor molecule.

Eliminate tumors or slow down tumor growth

In mouse experiments, the researchers were able to detect killer T cells that were effectively activated and destroyed cancer cells. According to the type of cancer, 20% to 40% of mice (depending on the type of cancer) have their tumors disappeared, while in other cases it temporarily slows tumor growth.

Pinschewer pointed out that the effectiveness of the method for humans has not yet been determined, but using two different viruses in mice is more effective than using only one virus. This result is encouraging.

Hookipa Pharma (a biotechnology company) is currently studying the effect of this new therapy in the treatment of human cancer. The researchers said that we are currently exploring the effects that the new method itself can achieve. If it is proven effective, it can be tested.

(source:internet, reference only)

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