Special viruses help immune system with fight against malignant tumors – including with what almost do not give in to other ways of treatment.
Immunity has to destroy cancer cells as soon as they appear, however cancer cells have the special cunnings allowing them to lull into a false sense of security of immune system. But, on the other hand, ourselves by means of any medical receptions can wake immunity that it started hunting actively on a cancer.
In article in Science Translational Medicine researchers from University of Leeds together with the staff of other scientific centers of United Kingdom, and Canada describe United States of America
Not all viruses suit
However Adel Samson (Adel Samson ) and his colleagues proved that the onkolitichesky virus can be entered directly into blood, and it after all will reach a cancer of a brain. Nine patients to whom operation on removal of a brain tumor was coming participated in experiment. Some days before operation to them did an injection of an onkolitichesky virus of group reovirusov, and then in the cancer cells taken from a brain looked for virus traces. It appeared that at all nine virus reached a tumor even if it was quite deeply in a brain. Besides, on sick fabrics it was visible that in them immunity quite actively worked: the amount of immune alarm proteins and condition of T-lymphocytes which have to kill cancer cells, said that the immune system actively undertook a cancer. And actually patients felt a virus not really strongly, everything was limited to the symptoms reminding slight flu.
In itself virus therapy hardly will be able to overcome a tumor therefore it, most likely, should be used together with himio-and radiotheraphy. And though very few people participated in research, and results here still should be rechecked, experts from University of Leeds, inspired with that turned out, already started treating some patients on a complex method, having united regular injections of a virus with other remedies.
Other example of how the virus can help immunity with fight against a cancer, is described in one more article in by Science Translational Medicine . Experts from hospitals Ottawa worked with mouse option three times a negative cancer of a breast which is considered one of the nastiest kinds of a tumor of a mammary gland and which almost does not give in to usual methods of treatment. Tumor at mice deleted, but after operation at animals multiple metastasises which tried to destroy by means of complex therapy woke up. Against metastasises used a known onkolitichesky virus Maraba, however not alone, and together with other means, helping "to wake" immunity. Very often, as we spoke above, cancer cells use molecular tricks to calm immune cages, not to allow them to be activated. Lulling "spell" of cancer cells can be broken by means of special molecules, however and such means sometimes are powerless before a cancer: so, they in any way did not act in case of mouse three times a negative tumor.
In the itself virus relieved 20–30% of mice of a cancer that besides there is not a lot of. But when a virus united with activating immunotherapeutic means, the share of the cured mice grew to 60–90%. Probably, what exactly onkolitichesky viruses will help to make, at last, three times a negative cancer of a breast not such frightening to what it meanwhile remains.
By the way, about a virus Maraba we already spoke not so long ago: researchers from the same hospital Ottawa used it against HIV – as it became clear, the onkolitichesky virus specifically affects cages in which HIV remains in a sleeping look.