Scientists from the University of Zurich have developed a new technique that enables the body to produce therapeutic agents capable of deceiving cancer cells and destroying them from the inside out, helping to reduce the side effects of cancer treatments, as well as lung treatments in the case of COVID-19, according to "Sky News Arabia".
The researchers at the University of Zurich modified a common respiratory virus, called adenovirus, to function like a Trojan horse to deliver genes for cancer treatments directly into cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy or radiation therapy, this approach does not harm healthy cells.
Once inside the cancer cells, the delivered genes act as a blueprint for therapeutic antibodies, cytokines, and other signaling substances produced by the cancer cells themselves, working to eliminate tumors from the inside out. Shina Smith, a postdoctoral fellow leading the development of the new approach, stated, "We trick the tumor into getting rid of itself by producing anti-cancer cells."
Andreas Plückthun, the head of the research team, explained, "Therapeutic agents, such as antibodies or therapeutic signaling substances, mostly remain in the required location within the body rather than spreading through the bloodstream where they could harm healthy organs and tissues." Adenoviruses penetrate the immune system undetected.
The researchers at the University of Zurich call their technique "Sharid," which relies on key technologies previously engineered by Plückthun's team, including directing adenoviruses to specific parts of the body to hide them from the immune system. Using the "Sharid" system, scientists made the tumor itself produce a clinically approved breast cancer antibody in the breast of a mouse. They found that after a few days, "Sharid" generated more antibodies in the tumor than when the drug was injected directly.
The scientists used a highly advanced and precise three-dimensional imaging method that made the tissue completely transparent to show how therapeutic antibodies produced in the body create pores in the tumor's blood vessels and destroy cancer cells, thereby treating it from the inside.
After several days, the scientists found that this technique produced more antibodies in the tumor than directly injecting the drug. Moreover, the concentration in the bloodstream and in other tissues, where side effects might be less, was significantly lower.
The researchers confirmed that the new technique is not limited to fighting breast cancer but will also be effective in cases of COVID-19 by administering this technique via inhalation to treat antibodies in lung cells, promising effectiveness and reducing treatment costs.
