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Scientists from Cancer Research UK have taken advantage of the selfish behaviour of cancer cells to target them with a genetically engineered virus.
If infected normal cells altruistically shut themselves down to contain the virus but cancer cells refuse to stop for anything – allowing the virus to thrive. Researchers found it was able to spread throughout tumours leaving healthy tissue untouched.
Reporting their results in the June issue of Molecular Therapy the authors suggest that the engineered virus could be ideal for targeting cancers with lethal gene therapy opening the way for new highly selective anti-cancer treatments.
Viruses work by infiltrating and then killing cells. Their ability to enter cells undetected makes them an attractive prospect for carrying anticancer treatment directly into tumour cells. The trick is to protect healthy cells from the process.
The GM virus was created by removal of a gene (called E1B-19kD) that viruses use to disguise themselves and which prevents cells from noticing they have been infected.
Removal of the gene exposes the virus. Normal cells recognise they are under attack and commit suicide preventing the virus from spreading to their neighbours. But cancer cells are programmed to resist suicide and do not die when infected – selfish behaviour that enables the GM virus to replicate and spread through tumour tissue.
Scientists from the Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre at Barts and The London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry tested the virus on cells grown in the laboratory and in model tumour systems. It thrived in cancerous tissue reproducing and spreading infection but was eliminated from healthy tissue.
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