Researchers hijack the common flu to make it a pancreatic cancer killer

As part of a new effort to halt one of the deadliest cancers in its tracks, researchers are recruiting a common flu virus as a powerful new weapon.

While the flu virus might be the last thing we want to hear about in the midst of what has been a particularly virulent flu season, it could prove to be a powerful new weapon in the fight against pancreatic cancer with a survival rate of just 5%.

The reason for its poor survival rate is due to both its late diagnosis and the cancer’s rapid development of resistance to current therapies leading to researchers searching for new strategies that won’t allow the cells to develop an immunity.

In a paper published , a team of researchers has revealed how the common flu can be modified to attack different parts of the body, in this case the pancreatic cancer cells.

“The new virus specifically infects and kills pancreatic cancer cells, causing few side effects in nearby healthy tissue,” said the study’s lead researcher.

“Not only is our targeting strategy both selective and effective, but we have now further engineered the virus so that it can be delivered in the blood stream to reach cancer cells that have spread throughout the body.”

The key to the breakthrough was down to a unique feature of pancreatic cancer cells: a specific molecule called alpha v beta 6 (αvβ6), which is found on the surface of many pancreatic cancer cells but, crucially, not on normal cells.

Could be used with existing treatments

With this knowledge, the team set about modifying the flu virus so that it displays an additional small protein on its outer coat that recognises and binds to αvβ6-molecules.

When the virus enters the cancer cells, the virus spreads producing thousands of copies of itself prior to bursting out of the cell and thereby destroying it in the process.

These new copies can then bind onto neighbouring cancer cells and repeat the same cycle, eventually removing the tumour mass altogether.

This seemingly astounding solution was tested on human pancreatic cancer cells grafted onto mice with the results showing they inhibited cancer growth.

“If we manage to confirm these results in human clinical trials, then this may become a promising new treatment for pancreatic cancer patients, and could be combined with existing chemotherapy drugs to kill persevering cancer cells,” the Dr. said.

She added that the team’s new virus is much more specific in its targeting compared with previous versions.

If the team secures funding for clinical trials within the next two years, early phase trials could be just a few years away.
 

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