Retroviruses get out of control in cancerous tumors but catch the attention of the immune system. Researchers say that if this reaction gets stronger, the body can heal itself from cancer.
Ancient viruses that emerged millions of years ago help people fight cancer. Professor Julian Downward, Deputy Director of Research at the Francis Crick Institute (UK), told the BBC reporter about this.
During the study, scientists from the Francis Crick Institute found that remnants of ancient viruses dormant in human DNA become active when cancer cells begin to grow, which helps the immune system detect and attack the tumor. Experts want to use this feature to create vaccines to better treat and even prevent cancer.
Researchers noticed a link between better survival of lung cancer patients and immune system B cells that accumulate around cancerous tumors. These cells produce the antibodies needed to fight viral infections such as COVID-19.
British scientists became interested in why antiviral particles attract tumors and conducted a series of experiments with human and animal samples. As it turns out, B cells are trying to fight off the remnants of the so-called endogenous retroviruses that “insert” copies of their own genes into humans. Thus, more than 8% of human DNA is actually of viral origin, and some retroviruses “associated” with humans millions of years ago and some more recently.
Some viral genetic instructions eventually assimilated into the human body and began to benefit, but many were rigidly suppressed. In the case of cancer cells that grow uncontrollably, this control is lost and the remnants of viruses begin to regenerate parts of the body that are too weak to harm the body, but sufficient for the immune system to react to them.
“The immune system is tricked into believing that the tumor cells are infected and trying to destroy the virus, so it’s kind of an alarm system,” said Professor George Cassiotis, head of retroviral immunology at the Center for Biomedical Research.
Antibodies call on other parts of the immune system to kill “infected” cancer cells in order to stop the virus. Thus, the human body itself fights cancer. George Cassiotis pointed out that the role of retroviruses, which could once have caused cancer in human ancestors and now protect us from the same disease, has been surprisingly reversed. Now scientists want to strengthen this natural response and teach the body to fight cancer on its own.
“If we can do that, then you can think about preventive vaccines, not just curative vaccines,” Kassiotis said.
Previously, scientists have already taught lymphocytes to hunt and kill cancer. They created genetically modified T cells with receptors to recognize cancer cells that are subtly masking in the body.
Source: Focus
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