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A Virus Could Save an Eye
Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer that affects the developing retina. And if left untreated is fatal. In a third of cases, chemotherapy doesn't work and one or both eyes have to be removed. But scientists are using a modified virus to kill the cancer.
They're called oncolytic viruses and more are being used to treat cancer. In retinoblastoma, a protein called E-two-F is overproduced causing out of control cell division. Researchers engineered an adenovirus called VCN-zero-one to replicate only in cells with high levels of E-two-F. Adenovirus is a common virus that normally causes mild respiratory disease in humans. But the genetically engineered VCN-zero-one virus not only replicates but kills high E-two-F producing cells.
Promising mouse studies led to a small-scale clinical trial using the virus to treat children with retinoblastoma. These children had chemo-resistant forms of the cancer and were destined for eye removal. In one patient, tumors in the eye appeared to shrink while normal cells and structures in the eye remained intact. The virus also didn't appear to be reproducing anywhere outside the eye. Another child's eye was too cloudy to continue treatment. While both these children eventually had to have their eyes removed, the virus allowed at least one child to keep his eye longer.
The plan is to finish the study with thirteen more patients and to use higher doses of the virus. It's too early to know if this treatment is a cure but it continues to show that oncolytic viruses holds great promise.
More Information
Cancer-slaying virus may fight childhood eye tumor
Curing the childhood eye cancer retinoblastoma often comes at a cost. The tumor, which sprouts in the retina and primarily occurs in children under the age of 5, is fatal if not treated. Yet chemotherapy can cause permanent vision loss, and patients sometimes need surgery to remove one or both eyes. Now, scientists have found that a cancer-slaying virus seems to combat this cancer in mice without serious side effects. A clinical trial has also shown early signs of promise...
Therapeutic targeting of the RB1 pathway in retinoblastoma with the oncolytic adenovirus VCN-01
Retinoblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor of the retina activated upon homozygous inactivation of the tumor suppressor RB1. VCN-01 is an oncolytic adenovirus designed to replicate selectively in tumor cells with high abundance of free E2F-1, a consequence of a dysfunctional RB1 pathway. Thus, we reasoned that VCN-01 could provide targeted therapeutic activity against even chemoresistant retinoblastoma...
Tumour-killing virus could stop a childhood eye cancer and save vision
A cancer-killing virus may be able to remove tumours associated with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer usually diagnosed in children before the age of 3. The hope is that this approach will prevent the need for eye removal surgery to stop the cancer from spreading to the brain...
