"STARWARS"? DOUBLE SMART-BOMB TECHNIQUE BEING DEVELOPED

[Lani]

'Smart Bomb' Anti-Cancer Therapy Shows Promise [HealthDay News]
THURSDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) — Scientists say they're closer to perfecting a double-barreled "smart bomb" approach that one day might kill off stubborn cancers without damaging surrounding tissue.

The technique — which uses targeted viruses hidden in immune cells to destroy tumors — has only succeeded in mice so far, and it's not known if it will work in humans.

Still, the treatment has the potential to be an "exciting advance," said Clodagh O'Shea, a cancer research specialist at the University of California, San Francisco who's familiar with the federally funded study.

Scientists know that some viruses hone in on cancer cells, and they know that the immune system often swings into action whenever it detects a tumor. Blending these two potential weapons, researchers at Stanford University have taken immune cells, "supercharged" them with a cancer-killing virus, and sent them on a mission to destroy tumors.

Reporting in the March 24 issue of Science, the study's authors say the approach appeared to kill off tumors in mice infected with human ovarian cancer cells.

Research has already shown that it's safe to treat humans separately with either the immune cells or the virus, said study co-author Christopher H. Contag, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology. The question now is whether they'll work when combined together.

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ABSTRACT: Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Immune Cell-Viral Biotherapy [Science; Subscribe; Sample]
Targeted biological therapies hold tremendous potential for treatment of cancer, yet their use has been limited by constraints on delivery and effective tumor targeting. We combined an immune effector cell population [cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells] with an oncolytic viral therapy to achieve directed delivery to, and regression of, tumors in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent mouse models. Preinfection of CIK cells with modified vaccinia virus resulted in a prolonged eclipse phase with the virus remaining hidden until interaction with the tumor. Whole-body imaging revealed that the cells retained their ability to traffic to and to infiltrate the tumor effectively before releasing the virus. These results illustrate the potential of combining biotherapeutics for synergistic effects that more effectively treat cancer.