Health & Medicine
Virus-Derived Particles Target Blood Cancer
Mark Hoffman
First Posted: Aug 15, 2013 03:25 PM EDT
Ottawa researchers have developed unique virus-derived particles that can kill human blood cancer cells in the laboratory and eradicate the disease in mice with few side effects.
While Dr. Bell and his colleagues have been investigating replicating viruses for the treatment of solid cancers for many years, with very promising results, this is the first major success they have had treating blood cancer (leukemia). It is also the first success they have had using a non-replicating virus-derived particle as opposed to a replicating virus.
“Our research indicated that a replicating virus might not be the safest or most effective approach for treating leukemia, so we decided to investigate whether we could make virus-derived particles that no longer replicate but still kill cancer,” said Dr. Conrad, a hematologist conducting research in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at The Ottawa Hospital, and currently completing his PhD at OHRI and uOttawa in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. “We were delighted to see that this novel therapy was very safe at high doses, and worked extremely well in our laboratory leukemia models. We hope to test this in patients in the near future.”
The researchers used a specific method and dose of UV light to transform regular replicating viruses into unique particles that could no longer replicate and spread, but could still enter cancer cells efficiently, kill them and stimulate a strong immune response against the cancer. These particles were able to kill multiple forms of leukemia in the laboratory, including samples taken from local patients who had failed all other therapies. Normal blood cells were not affected. This novel treatment was also successful in mouse models of leukemia. In fact, 80 per cent of the mice that received the therapy had markedly prolonged survival and 60 per cent were eventually cured, while all of the untreated mice died of their leukemia within 20 days.
The study is published in Blood Cancer Journal by co-senior authors Drs. David Conrad and John Bell of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa). -- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Video of leukemia cells rapidly dying after treatment with the virus-derived particles: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mfsgxxniri13bwv/conradreleasevideo.avi.
Reference:
Non-replicating rhabdovirus-derived particles (NRRPs) eradicate acute leukemia by direct cytolysis and induction of antitumor immunity. Batenchuk C, Le Boeuf F, Stubbert L, Falls T, Atkins HL, Bell JC, and Conrad DP. Blood Cancer J. 2013 Jul 12;3:e123. doi: 10.1038/bcj.2013.23. Corresponding author: Dr. David P Conrad. https://www.nature.com/bcj/journal/v3/n7/full/bcj201323a.html.
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First Posted: Aug 15, 2013 03:25 PM EDT
Ottawa researchers have developed unique virus-derived particles that can kill human blood cancer cells in the laboratory and eradicate the disease in mice with few side effects.
While Dr. Bell and his colleagues have been investigating replicating viruses for the treatment of solid cancers for many years, with very promising results, this is the first major success they have had treating blood cancer (leukemia). It is also the first success they have had using a non-replicating virus-derived particle as opposed to a replicating virus.
“Our research indicated that a replicating virus might not be the safest or most effective approach for treating leukemia, so we decided to investigate whether we could make virus-derived particles that no longer replicate but still kill cancer,” said Dr. Conrad, a hematologist conducting research in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at The Ottawa Hospital, and currently completing his PhD at OHRI and uOttawa in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. “We were delighted to see that this novel therapy was very safe at high doses, and worked extremely well in our laboratory leukemia models. We hope to test this in patients in the near future.”
The researchers used a specific method and dose of UV light to transform regular replicating viruses into unique particles that could no longer replicate and spread, but could still enter cancer cells efficiently, kill them and stimulate a strong immune response against the cancer. These particles were able to kill multiple forms of leukemia in the laboratory, including samples taken from local patients who had failed all other therapies. Normal blood cells were not affected. This novel treatment was also successful in mouse models of leukemia. In fact, 80 per cent of the mice that received the therapy had markedly prolonged survival and 60 per cent were eventually cured, while all of the untreated mice died of their leukemia within 20 days.
The study is published in Blood Cancer Journal by co-senior authors Drs. David Conrad and John Bell of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa). -- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Video of leukemia cells rapidly dying after treatment with the virus-derived particles: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mfsgxxniri13bwv/conradreleasevideo.avi.
Reference:
Non-replicating rhabdovirus-derived particles (NRRPs) eradicate acute leukemia by direct cytolysis and induction of antitumor immunity. Batenchuk C, Le Boeuf F, Stubbert L, Falls T, Atkins HL, Bell JC, and Conrad DP. Blood Cancer J. 2013 Jul 12;3:e123. doi: 10.1038/bcj.2013.23. Corresponding author: Dr. David P Conrad. https://www.nature.com/bcj/journal/v3/n7/full/bcj201323a.html.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone