Zika vs. glioblastoma
The virus that kills the tumor
Press service of the FIT Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS
The joint work of geneticists of the FIT ICIG SB RAS and virologists of the SSC VB "Vector" is aimed at creating effective therapy for brain tumors.
Even during the mass vaccination campaigns of the USSR population in the 1960s and 70s, experts identified cases of recovery of individual patients with oncological diseases after vaccinations. These cases served as the basis for the creation of a new separate direction in the treatment of oncological diseases with the help of viral drugs. However, the development of this approach became possible only after the discovery of the molecular mechanisms of oncological diseases, which made it possible to design viruses for selective lysis of tumor cells. Science does not stand still and in recent years virotherapy (the use of viruses in the treatment of oncological diseases) has become one of the promising areas.
Not so long ago, the news reported on studies of the effects of the smallpox vaccine virus on tumor cells, which are being conducted in Novosibirsk Akademgorodok. The initiators of another study were the staff of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS together with virologists from the World Health Center "Vector", which was aimed at finding new tools for the treatment of glioblastoma. The Zika virus was taken as a potential therapeutic agent.
– This virus attracted the attention of the whole world in 2016, during the preparation for the Summer Olympic Games in Brazil. Then there were numerous news about the outbreak of this disease in South America, – says the head of the CCP "SPF-vivarium" FITZ ICIG SB RAS, PhD Evgeny Zavyalov. – A number of articles dedicated to him have been published. The greatest danger of this virus is for unborn children. In the fetus during pregnancy, the virus affects the brain and leads to disability of the born children. In adults, the disease proceeds much more easily – most often in the form of a mild fever that does not require special treatment.
Since the Zika virus has a pronounced neurotropism, scientists decided to test whether the Zika virus will attack brain tumor cells in the same way as healthy ones. To do this, laboratory mice were first injected with human glioblastoma cells, and then injected with the Zika virus. Carrying out such a complex experiment was made possible thanks to the proximity of two unique scientific objects. Located in the ICIG, the only SPF vivarium in the country allows you to create genetic models of laboratory animals that meet the conditions of such experiments, and the Vector World Health Center has a large collection of viruses and special conditions for safe work with them.
The results of the first experiments showed the prospects of this direction, said one of the leading participants of the project, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Genetics of Laboratory Animals FITZ ICIG SB RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences Ivan Razumov:
– We saw that the virus attacks tumor cells and slows down their growth, without causing any significant damage to the rest of the body. We planted glioblastoma cells under the skin of the first mice, and in the future we intend to repeat the experiment already on a tumor embedded in the brain. And if the results are confirmed, it will open up the possibility of developing a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of brain tumors already in humans.
Scientists emphasize that we are not talking about direct infection of patients with the virus. The final drug, if it comes to preclinical and clinical trials, will contain some new design that is not dangerous for a healthy person as with vaccination, for example, it will be either a weakened strain or a genetically edited version of the virus (which will retain only the properties necessary for treatment). In both cases, the probability of infection of others will be reduced to zero, and the side effects for the patient himself will be much more sparing than with traditional chemotherapy now.
– Virotherapy is a very promising direction in modern medicine, – Ivan Razumov is sure. – There are a lot of viruses living near us, most of which do not pose a danger to our body, but may be useful in the treatment of various diseases. And today science has the necessary set of tools to use the properties of these viruses for the benefit of people.
Work on the creation of an effective method of glioblastoma treatment based on the Zika virus continues, and in the near future scientists intend to launch a new series of experiments.
Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumor, which is currently practically untreatable (accounts for up to 52% of primary brain tumors). The average life expectancy of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma is less than a year.
Zika virus is a representative of the genus Flavivirus, which includes 53 species of RNA-containing viruses. Many of them cause diseases in humans: dengue fever, West Nile fever, etc. The Zika virus was discovered in 1948 and has long been considered non-pathogenic to humans. The recent outbreak of Zika fever in Brazil and cases of neonatal microcephaly caused by this disease stimulated his research.
The Center for Collective Use "SPF-vivarium" of FITZ ICiG SB RAS has no analogues in the territory of the Russian Federation in terms of its equipment and capabilities. SPF – abbreviation of the phrase "Specific Pathogen Free" means that the vivarium contains animals free of pathogens – microorganisms that can cause species-specific diseases. This is a prerequisite for conducting many modern biomedical research using laboratory animals.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru