New research shows that some chemotherapy agents do more than directly kill cancer cells: they can trigger the innate immune system. Scientists testing a candidate called Compound 1 found it caused a build-up of toxic reactive oxygen species in cancer cells. Those cells released signals normally seen during viral infection, a phenomenon called viral mimicry.
When researchers injected pretreated cancer cells into preclinical models, the immune system treated them as if they were infected and eliminated them. It also remained primed and later attacked cancer cells that had not been treated. The team notes that viral mimicry has appeared with other cancer agents, suggesting that detection of antiviral signals may drive the antitumor response seen with some chemotherapies.
Researchers plan to screen existing drugs for this effect and to test combinations with immunotherapy, seeking clinical collaborations to study patient samples and links between survival and markers of viral mimicry.
Difficult words
- chemotherapy — treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer
- reactive oxygen species — harmful oxygen molecules that damage cells
- immune system — body's cells and organs that fight infectioninnate immune system, the immune system
- viral mimicry — cells showing signals similar to virus infection
- pretreat — to treat before another main treatmentpretreated
- preclinical model — experimental test systems used before human trialspreclinical models
- immunotherapy — treatment that helps the immune system fight disease
- marker — a measurable sign that shows a biological statemarkers
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Discussion questions
- How could viral mimicry improve cancer treatment? Give one or two possible benefits.
- What are the advantages of screening existing drugs instead of developing new drugs?
- Would you feel comfortable trying a treatment that uses the immune system to fight cancer? Why or why not?
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