2023-08-29 13:15:38
The rotavirus group, known especially for causing gastroenteritis, has taken an unexpected turn as a potential tool in the fight against stomach or gastric cancer, considered a public health problem in many nations. In Colombia alone, in 2020 it ranked fourth in incidence with 8,214 new cases and first in mortality with 6,541 deaths for both sexes and all ages.
Specifically, the WT1-5 rotavirus (developed by virologist Carlos Guerrero from the National University of Colombia (UNAL) and his team), which arose through directed experimental evolution, presented promising prospects.
Through multiple passages in cultures of various human tumor cell lines (lung, breast, prostate, and gastric cancer, among others), the virus was transformed into an agent capable of selectively and efficiently infecting and destroying tumor cells.
Its affinity for proteins that increase or are located in the membranes of these tumor cells, such as αVβ3 integrins, heat shock proteins (Hsc 70), and disulfide isomerase (PDI) proteins, favors its therapeutic potential.
For the investigation, 6 male patients between 54 and 64 years old who had gastric cancer 5 years ago were selected, who had their tumors removed by surgery at the University Hospital of La Samaritana in Bogotá.
None of these patients had undergone preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy, nor had synchronous or metachronous multiple cancer in other organs, that is, they had never received prior treatment for this disease.
Doctor in Biotechnology Henry Sossa, from the Faculty of Dentistry of the UNAL Bogotá Campus, led the research that used the WT1-5 rotavirus in oncolytic viral therapy (one in which said agents are adapted in a laboratory to destroy cancer cells). in cultures of stomach cancer, also known as gastric adenocarcinoma.
Henry Sossa, doctor in biotechnology and researcher at UNAL. (Photo: Henry Sossa / UNAL)
According to doctor Sossa, “this virus presents an exceptional level of selectivity by exclusively attacking tumor cells, minimizing the risk of damage to healthy cells.”
Colombia, like many countries, faces alarming incidence and mortality rates from gastric cancer, and most patients do not detect the disease in its early stages, resulting in inoperable advanced tumors.
Traditional therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, often have adverse effects and offer limited survival.
The new findings present hope for changing this reality. For this, tests were carried out on samples of gastric tumor tissues infected with the WT1-5 rotavirus, using an ex vivo infection model, that is, the tumor tissue that is alive in the culture medium is infected.
The results indicate that the virus propagates efficiently in tumor cells from 12 hours post-infection and shows a high degree of infection at 24 hours.
In addition, rotavirus demonstrated its ability to spread through all layers of the gastric tumor, inducing tissue necrosis within 48-60 hours.
“This surprising discovery suggests that oncolytic viral therapy with WT1-5 rotavirus would represent a rapid, effective, and non-invasive adjuvant alternative for patients with advanced cancer,” the experts note.
In addition, the possibility is raised that this therapy induces an antitumor immune response, improving the efficacy of the treatment and reducing the chances of tumor recurrence.
The development of this research, a collaboration between UNAL and the Hospital Universitario de La Samaritana, has required five years of hard work and effort in the field of oncology, and thanks to the achievements obtained, this doctoral thesis received a meritorious distinction.
“The results have validated the importance of the tumor explant model, bringing this innovative therapy closer to clinical trials in patients with unresectable gastric carcinomas. As a researcher, I am confident that this finding offers new hope to those who fight against advanced gastric cancer”, concludes Sossa. (Source: UNAL Agency)
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