Cowpea Mosaic Virus: Cancer Could Be Treated Using Plant Virus Following Effective Experiment on Mice

Cancer treatment remains a medical and scientific endeavor to potentially save millions of lives from the chronic disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. While there is still no universal cure for any kind of cancer, related treatments can increase the survival rate and mitigate symptoms for affected patients.

Over the decades, medical experts have attempted to find a cancer cure once and for all. However, current developments are on their hypothetical or experimental stage, which includes animal research to further understand the mechanism behind the deadly disease. In recent years, mice studies have shown promising results when it comes to fighting tumors or cancer cells.

Earlier this year, a study led by researchers in the United States found that a plant virus, called cowpea mosaic virus, has "widespread effectiveness" when it comes to fighting metastatic cancer cells on mice.

The said pathogen which typically infects black-eyed pea plants can pave the way for potential treatment for human cancer, according to the authors of the March 2024 research paper.

Plant Virus on Mice Cancer

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego found that the plant virus on mice has helped the removal of tumors from the rodents and showed signs of comparable improvements following the cancer treatment trial.

Their findings were published in the journal Advanced Science on March 2, showing the protective effects of cowpea mosaic virus against metastatic cancers.

The experimental study, which focused on mice cancer, confirmed that the cowpea mosaic virus induces anti-tumor responses when used through intratumoral injection. Based on the research findings, the plant virus serves as an effective immunoprophylactic agent, with potential efficacy in metastatic cancers in the body's colon, ovaries, melanoma, and breast.

Also Read: Bizarre Knotted DNA Structures in Mice Linked to Development of Cancer

Cowpea Mosaic Virus

The cowpea mosaic virus, abbreviated as CPMV, is non-infectious toward mammals but activates mammalian pathogen recognition receptors; to reprogram the tumor microenvironment and prime systemic antitumor immunity.

This is according to a separate 2022 study published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, which found that the plant virus outperforms other viruses from the family Secoviridae as a situ vaccine for cancer immunotherapy.

Similar to the May 2024 study, the 2022 research also referenced scientific mouse models to show that CPMV induces significant cytokine generation. According to health authorities, cytokine is a type of protein which is produced by specific immune and non-immune cells that have effects on the body's immune system.

Human Cancer Cases

The previous studies are making progress towards research on cancer treatment by incorporating plant viruses, cancer-related deaths in humans remain a public health threat. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is responsible for the almost 10 million deaths in 2020, with the most common cases are breast, colon, lung, prostate, and rectum cancers.

The WHO explains cancer cells emerge from the transformation of normal cells into tumor cells. There is no single cause of developing these tumors as genetics, lifestyle, pollution, and environmental factors, among others have a role to play.

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