Virus against metastases

A plant virus that stops cancer metastasis has been discovered

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

Preclinical experiments have shown that nanoparticles created from the cowpea mosaic virus prevent the development of metastases in breast tumors and melanoma. In the future, the new approach may also become an effective way to prevent cancer during remission, the authors of the discovery believe.

The article by Chung et al. S100A9-Targeted Cowpea Mosaic Virus as a Prophylactic and Therapeutic Immunotherapy against Metastatic Breast Cancer and Melanoma is published in the journal Advanced Science – VM.

Metastases to the lungs from a focal tumor are considered the most common and difficult to treat. Scientists from the University of California at San Diego sought to find a way to prevent the development of metastases in the lungs, thereby increasing survival in various types of tumors.

The experimental treatment developed is based on the plant virus of cow pea mosaic, which triggers an enhanced immune response and increases the body's natural ability to fight cancer. The nanoparticles created from the virus target the S100 A9 protein, the increased expression of which is associated with tumor growth, the scientists explain. The drug is administered as a simple injection.

The first experiments on mouse models with melanoma and triple negative breast cancer showed a sharp decrease in tumor growth and its spread by metastases to the lungs. When the drug was administered to mice with metastases already present in the lungs, the treatment also had a positive effect: signs of lung cancer were reduced, and the life expectancy of rodents increased.

"Under these conditions, any positive change in survival and the degree of metastasis is quite striking, since the therapy was evaluated against very aggressive cell lines," said co–author Eric Chang.

So far, the results look very promising. In the future, the authors consider the use of therapy as a preventive measure for patients after surgical removal of a tumor with a high risk of recurrence. Further studies should assess the potential and safety of the method for humans, as well as study the compatibility of the drug with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy – key tools in the treatment of cancer.

Earlier, the same group of scientists spoke about the use of the cow pea mosaic virus as the basis for the creation of heat-resistant vaccines against COVID-19. Thanks to its components, the vaccine will not need special storage conditions, and the drug itself will be available in the form of patches instead of the usual injections.

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