A new study reports success in treating aggressive brain tumours by injecting a virus into the bloodstream of patients. A type of naturally occurring virus called reovirus was able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier to reach the tumour site. The findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
In this study conducted by researchers at the University of Leeds and The Institute of Cancer Research London, 9 patients with fast-growing gliomas or other cancers metastasised to the brain were injected with the virus via a single-dose intravenous drip before their tumours were surgically removed. Patients undergoing surgery but not receiving the virus served as control patients.
The analysis of the removed tumour tissue revealed that the virus had reached the cancer, sometimes deep in the brain, in all the patients. The presence of reovirus was also found to stimulate the immune system, thereby attracting white blood cells or ‘killer’ T-cells to the tumour site. Patients who had received reovirus were also found to have increased levels of interferons, known to ‘switch-on’ the immune system.
Lead investigator Professor Susan Short said: “Our hope is that the additional effect of the virus on enhancing the body’s immune response to the tumour will increase the amount of tumour cells that are killed by the standard treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.”
