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Cobra venom helps hybrid virus evade immune response and repeatedly attack tumours
March 24, 2017
Viruses have shown promise in treating cancer, but it can be challenging to get multiple doses to a tumour because our immune system quickly learns to recognize and attack viruses. Two of our main antiviral defenses include antibodies that attach to viruses and prevent them from spreading and complement molecules that punch holes in them.
Dr.
John Bell
and his colleagues have found a way for cancer-fighting viruses to avoid both of these defenses. Their approach makes use of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, which has a unique ability to evade antibodies. It also uses the Maraba MG1 virus, which attacks many cancer cells without harming normal cells, as well as a protein from cobra venom that blocks complement molecules.
When they made a genetic hybrid of the two viruses and combined it with the cobra venom protein, they found that they could get 135 times more virus into tumours in laboratory models than when using the original Maraba on its own.
See
Molecular Therapy – Oncolytics
for details.
The Maraba MG1 virus is being tested in clinical trials in Canada. See our answers to
frequently asked questions from patients
.
Co-authors:
Laura Evgin, Carolina S Ilkow, Marie-Claude Bourgeois-Daigneault, Christiano Tanese de Souza, Lawton Stubbert, Michael S Huh, Victoria A Jennings, Monique Marguerie, Sergio A Acuna, Brian A Keller, Charles Lefebvre, Theresa Falls, Fabrice Le Boeuf, Rebecca A Auer, John D Lambris, J Andrea McCart, David F Stojdl, and John C Bell.
Funders:
The Terry Fox Research Institute, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme.
The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.
University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
Media contact
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca