There’s great news on the cancer front!
A team of researchers from Japan and New Zealand has found that the Seneca Valley virus appears to kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.
Understanding virotherapy’s work in killing cancer
Using biotechnology to turn viruses into the anti-disease agent, scientists have been able to use the Seneca Valley virus to selectively kill a receptor called ANTXR1, which only presents in tumors, while leaving ANTXR2, a receptor that only appears on healthy tissues, unharmed.
“The differences between the two receptors are subtle,” explains Professor Matthias Wolf, a co-senior author of the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Nonetheless, these subtle differences make one bind the virus with high affinity while the other doesn’t. The components must fit together like a key in a lock; this is a highly evolved system where everything fits perfectly.”
The ANTXR1 virus is found in more than 60% of human cancers and in this latest research, the Seneca Valley Virus was able to outsmart the immune system in early-phase clinic trials on both small-cell lung cancer and pediatric solid tumors. Still, there’s hope that this researchers‑or others-will be able to modify the Seneca Valley virus to recognize other receptors in other to tackle other types of cancers.
“We can learn what part of the virus is essential for binding to the receptor and which is not … [and] we can try to change the nonessential parts in order to escape the action of the immune system while leaving the essential part intact,” says Professor Mihnea Bostina, co-senior study author.
Cancer around the world
The World Health Organization says that cancer will likely be responsible for more than 9 million deaths across the globe in 2019, with more than 18 million people being diagnosed with cancer by the end of the year. Estimates put that number closer to 23 million by 2030.
