Study: Family of ancient viruses could cure lung cancer

Monitoring Desk

LONDON: A recent study has revealed that parts of ancient viruses that remain in our DNA can be the key to fighting lung cancer, Business Insider reported.

Scientists from the Francis Crick Institute with support from Cancer Research UK made this discovery while studying cancer cells.

These ancient viruses, which are known as endogenous retroviruses, are usually asleep in most people but if a person is diagnosed with cancer, they can wake up again in that cancerous tissue.

Scientists, while studying lung cancer in both mice and human tissue, also found out that the cells can draw out an immune response from B cells when activated.

These B cells are the white blood cells that help in fighting disease by creating antibodies. When the viruses “wake up” in areas where cancer is detected, our body responds by fighting cancer.

“The immune system is tricked into believing that the tumour cells are infected, and it tries to eliminate the virus, so it’s sort of an alarm system,” Professor George Kassiotis, head of the Retroviral Immunology Laboratory at the Crick, told the BBC.

Kassiotis said that through this discovery, scientists have gotten closer to creating effective treatments for lung cancer.

“With more research, we could look to develop a cancer treatment vaccine made up of activated ERV genes to boost antibody production at the site of patient’s cancer and hopefully improve the outcome of immunotherapy treatment,” said Kassiotis in a statement issued by The Francis Crick Institute.

He added, “ERVs have been hiding as viral footprints in the human genome for thousands or millions of years, so it’s fascinating to think that the diseases of our ancestors might be key to treating diseases today.”

“This work opens up a number of new opportunities for improving patient responses to immunotherapy, a crucial step in helping more people survive lung cancer,” said Associate Research Director Julian Downward.

The second most common cancer in the United States is lung cancer and 2023 will see about 238,340 new cases with 127,070 deaths, as per the American Cancer Society.