Scientists are harnessing the Zika virus vaccine as a method of targeting and killing human glioblastoma brain cancer stem cells, it was revealed last night.
Dr Pei-Yong Shi of the University of Texas, USA, and colleagues around the world tested a live but less virulent version of the Zika virus. They point out that a new treatment is desperately needed.
Dr Shi says: "During the Zika epidemic, we learned that the virus preferentially infects neural progenitor cells in the foetus, and causes the devastating microcephaly seen in babies born to infected mothers.
"We made the connection that perhaps Zika virus could also specifically infect the glioblastoma stem cells because these cells have similar properties to neural stem cells."
The team published their study yesterday (18 September) in mBio. It found that, as anticipated, Zika virus did attack and kill glioblastoma stem cells, both grown in the lab and in mice with glioblastoma.
Healthy brain cells were largely left alone by the Zika virus. The mice showed no adverse health effects, weight loss or behavioural abnormalities such as loss of appetite, depression, lethargy, self-injury, anxiety or altered motor function.
The average survival time of the treated mice was around 50 days, compared to around 30 days for the untreated mice.
By specifically targeting the glioblastoma stem cells that trigger relapse, this could form the basis of a novel treatment or even a cure, the team says.
Chen, Q. et al. Treatment of Human Glioblastoma with a Live Attenuated Zika Virus Vaccine Candidate. mBio 18 September 2018; doi: 10.1128/mBio.01683-18
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