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New cancer therapies Artificial viruses for the immune defense against cancer cells
Around 14 million people worldwide develop cancer every year, and more than eight million people die of it. In the fight against the serious illness is mainly put on surgery, chemo and radiation. Swiss researchers now report that even artificial viruses can be used against cancer cells.
Number of cancers is increasing
According to the Center for Cancer Registry Data in the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), "around 14.1 million people worldwide suffer from cancer (excluding white skin cancer) every year and around 8.2 million people die from it". Also in this country there are more and more new cancer cases. The number of new diagnoses has almost doubled in Germany since 1970. Patients are usually treated by surgery, chemotherapy and / or radiation. Swiss scientists have now built designer viruses that can also be targeted against cancer.
In the treatment of cancer is mainly put on surgery, chemo and radiation. Swiss researchers now report that even artificial viruses can be used against cancer cells. (Image: auremar / fotolia.com) Viruses against cancer
American researchers have reported from a few years ago that genetically modified polio viruses can help fight cancer.
And Japanese scientists have even produced killer cells against cancer. Colleagues from Switzerland have also succeeded.
They have built artificial viruses that alert the immune system and instruct them to send killer cells into the fight against cancer. The experts have now published their findings in the journal "Nature Communications".
Immune system reactions in viral infections
Most cancer cells stimulate the body's defense, the immune system, rather badly and can therefore grow without noticeable resistance.
In viral infections, this is quite different: The invading viruses cause in the body to release alarm signals, whereupon the immune system uses all available means to fight the intruder.
For several years, immunotherapies that "de-inhibit" the body's immune system have been successfully used to treat cancer. This also reinforces his half-hearted fight against cancer cells.
However, stimulating the immune system to be specific, targeted, and proactive in fighting cancer cells has been a largely unachieved goal.
Researchers are building novel designer viruses
The researchers led by Prof. Daniel Pinschewer from the University of Basel and Prof. Doron Merkler from the University of Geneva have now succeeded in producing novel designer viruses that are designed to do just that.
As reported in a report by the University of Basel, the scientists have built the artificial viruses from the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), which can affect both rodents and humans.
Although these were harmless for mice, they triggered the alarm signals typical of viral infections. In addition, the biomedical scientists incorporated special proteins into the viruses, which otherwise only occur in cancer cells.
In an infection with the designer virus, the immune system could now recognize these Krebseiweiße as dangerous.
Increase treatment success in cancer
The unique combination of alarms and cancer cell protein has been reported to help the immune system produce a powerful army of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, also called killer cells.
They were able to recognize and successfully combat the cancer cells based on their protein.
As stated in the communication from the university, the treatment options for cancer patients have developed enormously in recent years. However, many cancers continue to respond inadequately to currently available therapies, according to the researchers.
"We hope that our new insights and technologies will soon find application in cancer therapy and make a contribution to further increase the success of cancer treatment," says Prof. Pinschewer. (Ad)