The use of influenza virus to treat the most dangerous types of cancers

A group of scientists have re-programmed a modified form of the influenza virus to fight pancreatic cancer tumors without harming healthy cells.

Scientists have shown the possibility of injecting the virus into the bloodstream to kill cancer cells that spread to other parts of the body, in advanced stages of the disease.

"The new virus targets pancreatic cancer cells specifically, and can cause some negative effects in nearby healthy tissue," said Dr. Stella Mann, of the Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University in London.

Scientists say progress in this area can become a promising treatment for one of the most serious forms of cancer.
"If we can confirm the results in human clinical trials, we will be able to develop a promising new treatment for pancreatic cancer patients, which can be combined with existing chemotherapy drugs to kill advanced cancer cells," Dr. Mann said.

Pancreatic cancer tumors tend to remain within a hard-to-penetrate layer, making treatment difficult for cells. But the study indicates the ability of the virus to infiltrate and reach the cancer cells.

In the study, published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, scientists used mice grafted with human pancreatic cells and a modified version of the influenza virus to fight one of the signs of pancreatic cancer. These cancer cells contain an alpha-beta-6 molecule, which is not present in healthy cells. The virus has also been modified to add a protein-receptor molecule to its outer membrane to detect cancer cells and bind them.

Once the virus is connected to the cell, it injects a genetic material into it to form new copies of viruses, which are repeated and explode to infect more cancer cells.

The scientists said the new technology was able to produce selective treatment for cancer, which is not yet seen. Scientists are seeking funding to move on to human clinical trials in the next two years.

In 2015, scientists at Royal Marsden Hospitals, the world's first "confirmed evidence" that the modified form of herpes virus, caused by cold infections, could increase the chances of survival of skin cancer patients.

Another study conducted this month showed that viruses can be designed to attack brain tumors, which are difficult to target by other treatments and drugs.