Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that an attenuated (weakened) virus can help eliminate cancer in mice. In addition, mice that were treated with this virus were more resistant to developing tumors later in life. The attenuated virus -; lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) -; works and is safe even in immunosuppressed mice.
That's a critical finding, as many cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and other cancer treatments have suppressed immune systems. An important aspect about this viral-based therapy is that it demonstrates safety and efficacy even in an immunosuppressed host. Mice that were devoid of their killer T cells and their B cells were nonetheless responsive to this therapy.
" Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, corresponding author, assistant professor of microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine The Northwestern scientists showed in multiple tumor models -; including melanoma and colon cancer -; that injecting tumor-bearing mice with this virus shrank the tumor and increased survival. The study is published June 11 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation . "LCMV induces a high immune response, but it can cause disease especially in transplant patients," Penaloza-MacMaster said.
"With molecular biology, however, it is possible to weaken this virus and render it attenuated for use as a safe therapy, while still being immunogenic. The other advantage is that it seems that the same LCMV therapy can be used for variou.
