MW COVID-19 virus may have a surprising benefit - it might be able to shrink certain tumors
By Ciara Linnane
A preclinical study finds that COVID can trigger the development of an immune cell that can fight cancer
The COVID-19 virus may come with a surprising benefit. It may have the ability to shrink certain cancerous tumors, according to a new study.
The research was conducted at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute and was first reported by the Journal of Clinical Investigation. It was based on an initial finding that showed cancer patients who had a severe case of COVID also had a temporary regression of their cancer, according to Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the CTI.
"That was what really sparked our interest," Bharat told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Bharat and his team conducted a study using human tissues and animal models. To be clear, that means it's preliminary and does not indicate the research will hold up in a clinical setting.
But the initial findings were that the RNA within the COVID virus triggers the development of an immune cell that can fight cancer.
Specifically, the COVID virus can transform the monocyte, a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in the immune system, into a powerful immune cell, which is then able to move and attack cancer cells inside tumors.
The findings are unique to the COVID RNA virus, as other viruses such as influenza do not have the same ability.
In the preclinical study, the cancer cells were unable to develop resistance to the immune cells, Bharat said. That could be helpful for patients who end up developing resistance to immunotherapy, a key cancer treatment.
Bharat believes the immune-cell function could be replicated in a drug, which would help patients with aggressive or advanced cancers that have not responded favorably to other treatments.
The next step will be to move toward a clinical trial and then through the full drug-approval process, which typically involves several trials to determine dosing, measure efficacy and safety and get the ball rolling with the regulator. Even after a drug is approved, the Food and Drug Administration continues to monitor it and review the prescription-drug labeling to ensure healthcare practitioners have all the information they need to prescribe it safely.
The drug-approval process can take years, although the FDA has an accelerated approval program for drugs that appear promising and more effective than existing treatments for serious illnesses.
Immunotherapy works by stimulating the immune system to get T cells to attack tumors. But in some instances, patients see their cancer return after immunotherapy because the cancer cells could mutate again.
Bharat said the treatment, if one materializes, would not replace immunotherapy but likely either be used alongside it or as a secondary option if it fails.
-Ciara Linnane
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 19, 2024 13:14 ET (18:14 GMT)
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