Vector therapy of cancer
A research group at the University of Bologna used the bacteriophage M13 to selectively destroy tumor cells. To do this, the virus was modified so that it could transport a photoactive drug to tumor cells.
Bacteriophages are widespread viruses that infect bacteria, but are harmless to plants, animals and humans. Because of this feature and the special orthogonal structure of the capsid, researchers have suggested that it is possible to modify the phage and turn it into a viral vector that purposefully transports drugs in the body.
For the experiment, the M13 phage was selected – a filamentous virus with a length of 1000 nanometers and a width of only 5 nanometers.
The aim of the study was to turn the virus into a tool for the implementation of anti-cancer photodynamic therapy, targeted non-invasive treatment activated by light pulses.
The researchers genetically modified the phage to selectively target a specific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is overexpressed by cancer cells of several types of tumors, including breast, lung, brain and colon cancers. Thus, the virus reaches only the tumor cells.
In addition, hundreds of molecules of Bengal pink, a photosensitizer that allows activating photodynamic therapy, were chemically attached to the protein envelope surrounding the virus genome. Irradiation with ultra-low intensity white light led to intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) capable of killing cancer cells.
Thus, the modified virus purposefully recognizes tumor cells, allowing researchers to precisely control the target area and significantly reducing the number of side effects. The results obtained are the first significant step towards the clinical study of the viral vector.
The uniqueness of the new tool lies in its great flexibility, in addition to the described application, the virus can be modified in other ways to target different types of cells and fight, for example, pathogenic bacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotics.
Article L.Ulfo et al. Orthogonal nanoarchitectonics of M13 phage for receptor targeted anticancer photodynamic therapy is published in the journal Nanoscale.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to EurekAlert: Not all viruses are bad: A new photoactive viral vector for anti-cancer therapy has been developed.