Can the wave of "sacred operations" of new coronavirus killing tumor cells replicate?
After a patient with malignant lymphoma was infected with the new coronavirus, the tumor in his body disappeared in large areas without hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
The human immune system often treats tumor cells as normal cells. At this time, the patient's immune system becomes a "sleeping lion."
Experts believe that the invasion of the new coronavirus may wake up the "sleeping lion" and stimulate the human body's specific immunity or broad-spectrum immunity, thereby killing tumor cells and other viruses together.
◎Our reporter Zhang Jiaxing
A few days ago, a case report with only 3 paragraphs, published in the British Journal of Haematology, shocked the world——
After a patient with malignant lymphoma was infected with the new coronavirus, the tumor in his body disappeared in large areas without hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
Apart from marveling at this wave of "sacred operations", more follow-up questions followed: Did the new crown virus repel the tumor cells?
Is there possible universal value in this case?
Can cancer patients have a new path of cure?
On January 11, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed several scholars in the field of immunization with these questions.
There are many possibilities for cancer cells to disappear in patients with new coronary pneumonia
In the paper, the author from the Department of Hematology, Royal Cornwall Hospital in the United Kingdom speculates that there may be two reasons for the miraculous disappearance of the tumor after the patient was infected with the new coronavirus: one is the reaction of pathogen-specific T cells with tumor antigens, and the other is The activation of natural killer cells by inflammatory cytokines.
That is, the new coronavirus may activate the body's own immune function from two aspects: specific immunity and broad-spectrum immunity.
The reason why tumor cells grow and metastasize uncontrollably is because the body's immune system treats them as normal cells. At this time, the immune system of cancer patients becomes a "sleeping lion".
The invasion of the new coronavirus is equivalent to waking up the "sleeping lion" and killing tumor cells and other viruses together.
However, different scholars hold different views on the specific mechanism of this phenomenon that scientists are most concerned about.
Some scholars told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that this case may be just a coincidence.
The coincidence is likely to be related to "small peptides."
If the small peptides on the coat of the new coronavirus protein or the small peptides released after cell infection are exactly similar to the antigens on the surface of tumor cells, the killer T cells that stimulate the acquired immunity can recognize the latter.
This means that T cells recognize tumor cells through the "introduction" of the new coronavirus, thereby specifically killing tumor tissues.
This process is the specific immunity in the human body.
"But this is just speculation. Everything depends on the further analysis of the research team." The scholar said, but from the performance of patients with new coronary pneumonia, this inference is very possible because of the occurrence of "inflammatory cytokine storms in critically ill patients." "Is the main cause of death, which means that the new coronavirus will induce the immune system in the body to "crazy" release inflammatory factors, causing huge lethality. Therefore, as long as it is "accurately", it is completely possible to kill the malignant tumor in the patient within 4 months. .
"According to the current situation, I personally judge that the new coronavirus activates broad-spectrum immunity in this patient." Yang Guanghua, a distinguished professor of Shanghai Ocean University and founder of Bion Bio, told a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that the paper mentioned more than a significant reduction. It is the tumor cells and the number of Epstein-Barr virus that the patient has previously infected, so it is very likely that the new coronavirus has activated the patient's overall immune system, causing the number of immune cells, including natural killer cells, to increase sharply, identifying all of them as "alien" All cells or molecules are killed.
"The current simple reports reveal less information, it is difficult to make a comprehensive judgment, and the possibility of specific immunity is not ruled out." Yang Guanghua said.
In fact, in addition to activating the immune system, viruses have a precedent for directly killing tumor cells. Such viruses are called "oncolytic viruses."
Public information shows that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a genetically engineered oncolytic virus to treat advanced melanoma.
At least 3 oncolytic virus therapies have been approved for marketing worldwide.
Is it possible that the new coronavirus is directly "oncolytic"?
Yang Guanghua responded: "It is currently difficult to draw this conclusion. It is necessary to confirm that there are receptors on the surface of the patient's tumor cells to accept the entry of the new coronavirus. But from the analysis of the new coronavirus genome, it should not have the characteristics of oncolysis."
Wanting to rely on the new crown to "fight poison with poison" is a high-risk operation
Compared with the mechanism, the curative effect is more important for cancer patients.
Can cancer patients actively be infected with the new coronavirus to drive out all tumors?
High-risk operations, please do not imitate!
In response to possible irrational operations, scholars have expressed this appeal.
Many professionals have also expressed their worries due to the chaos of veterinary drugs for cancer treatment and plasmodium treatment for cancer in the cancer circle.
Whether this case can be repeated on others is difficult to determine until further research fails.
Even if the relevant mechanisms are clear in the future and prove to be repeatable, modern diagnosis and treatment methods will inevitably be optimized.
After all, the operation of directly infecting the new crown virus is too primitive!
Violates the basic requirements of safety and effectiveness.
Now that the paper reports the "dawn" of tumor regression, how will scientists use this possible effect of the new coronavirus?
Yang Guanghua said that tumor vaccines can be made, tumor markers can be found, genetic modification can be carried out...
If specific immunity is activated and the relevant immune pathway has been formed, then the fastest is to find small peptides that can stimulate immunity, and synthesize recombinant proteins through genetic engineering methods for the treatment of related types of tumors.
In the course of treatment, it is also necessary to assess whether the tumor type matches this specific immunity.
If it is a broad-spectrum immunity, the new coronavirus can also be modified to remove the toxic part to form a viral tumor vaccine carrier.
"It is a good direction to transform the virus to form a tumor vaccine and use it as a carrier. It can form a more efficient and highly mimicking immunity than the existing RNA vaccines and DNA vaccines." Yang Guanghua said, but there is still a long way to go in this direction. To go, because the new coronavirus spreads through the respiratory system, it is difficult to control its spread, so the road may be longer.
And if it is the third reason, caused by the oncolysis of the new coronavirus, then the new coronavirus still needs to be modified so that it only attacks tumor cells and is harmless to normal cells and forms a systemic therapy.
In addition, in terms of possible universality, because the patient is classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma, this tumor is different from other solid tumors, so the universality is relatively low. If the new coronavirus activates the overall immune system and causes tumors If it’s death, it will be more likely to find other similar cases to improve universality, and if it is to activate specific immunity, then universality may not be great.
Opened a door for tumor treatment
A case shocked the whole world. The reason is that besides the incredible results presented by medical imaging, it also provided clues and possibilities for tumor treatment.
Similar cases have precedents in the field of AIDS treatment, such as the emergence of "Berlin patients", allowing scholars to "unlock" knowledge points in basic research, knowing that the lack of CCR5 gene can prevent HIV attack.
This case is the "junction" of the huge human genome, transcriptome, proteome, life activities of cancer cells, and transcription and translation activities of the new coronavirus.
The possible interactions involved are numerous and complicated, and further research is urgently needed.
"To understand what changes have taken place in the entire system, how the tumor cells themselves and the tumor microenvironment interact, we really need to conduct a very in-depth analysis of this case." Yang Guanghua said.
The Chinese team of scientists cannot wait for the results of other people's research.
"This case happened to have undergone a PET-CT test and found that the tumor disappeared, but it is also possible that many similar conditions have not been found." Yang Guanghua said, "There should be cases of tumor patients simultaneously infected with the new coronavirus in our country."
This case opened "a door" and provided enlightenment to qualified domestic research groups.
"A lot of patients received treatment before, and the relevant departments have contact information. I think we can start related research, such as counting whether there are cancer patients, contacting him to see his current condition, or giving him another check. If found Once a patient's tumor shrinks or disappears, it can be included in the analysis and research immediately." Yang Guanghua said.