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Study shows pea plant virus could prevent spread of metastatic cancers
Mice treated with the virus eliminated the disease before it spread
Emily Parkhurst
May 16, 2024
Black-eyed pea plant virus could prevent spread of metastatic cancers
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have found a virus that could be used to treat metastatic cancers. Photo by Louis Reed on Unsplash
What you probably already know: An exciting new study from the University of California San Diego published this week shows evidence that a plant virus could help protect against the spread of metastatic cancers, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer.
Why? Research led Nicole Steinmetz, a professor of nanoengineering and director of the Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering at UC San Diego and her team have been using cowpea mosaic virus to trigger the immune system to fight cancer and prevent it from spreading. The treatment has been shown to work in laboratory mice.
What it means: The trials show that mice that were treated not only had higher survival rates but that they also survived longer without the cancer returning post-surgery. “We are providing a systemic treatment to wake up the body’s immune system to eliminate the disease before metastases even form,” Steinmetz said.
What happens now: The team is gearing up for clinical trials and continuing to do research on the efficacy in a variety of cancers.