Katharina Buczek
“Here, we do not treat established tumors or metastatic disease – we prevent them from forming,” Steinmetz said.
“We are providing a systemic treatment to wake up the body’s immune system to eliminate the disease before metastases even form and settle.”
One of the study’s most notable outcomes was the enhanced post-surgical recovery. In mice undergoing tumor removal surgery, the administration of cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticles reduced the risk of tumor recurrence, a prevalent concern among cancer patients undergoing surgical procedures.
“Even if you perform surgery to remove the tumors, no surgery is perfect, and there is an outgrowth of metastasis if no additional treatment is provided,” Steinmetz explained.
“Here, we use our plant virus nanoparticles after surgery to boost the immune system to reject any residual disease and prevent circulating tumor cells from metastatic seeding. We found that it works really, really well.”
Now, the researchers are eager to prepare for clinical trials, with the ultimate aim of progressing to human trials. They plan to conduct safety assessments and investigate the efficacy of the treatment among pets with cancer diagnoses.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Advanced Science, visit the link here.
