Zika: A Cure for Cancer?
Can a virus that caused international pandemonium be the long awaited cure for cancer? The Zika virus is a mosquito borne disease that most commonly has symptoms that are vague and mild, such as fever, rash, conjunctivitis and vomiting. Though it has a very low fatality rate, this virus can lead to devastating complications if a woman is infected while she is pregnant. It will most likely cause a birth defect known as microcephaly, which impairs brain development in the unborn child. Zika targets and attacks developing brain cells, and while this is detrimental to an infant, it is exactly what we need to combat aggressive tumors, such as glioblastoma. This tumor occurs when developing neurons reproduce uncontrollably and cannot be killed by the body’s immune system or by chemotherapy. By repurposing and modifying the Zika virus, we may have a chance to not only treat this cancer and save hundreds of lives, but also prevent it from returning to the human body ever again.
Using viruses to try and cure cancer isn’t exactly a new idea. As Andrew Zloza, a cancer specialist, states, “Cancer-fighting viruses tend to work in two ways. First, they infect and kill tumor cells. Then, as the dying cells split open, previously hidden tumor fragments become visible to the immune system. The body recognizes those fragments and launches a fight against them.” The Zika virus is now being looked into as a new candidate for the battle against cancer. Jeremy Rich, a scientist at the University of California, began by infecting mice that had glioblastoma with the virus. He observed that the tumors of the infected mice shrunk considerably, or at least grew at a slower pace. Of course, the brains of mice and humans obviously aren’t the same, so he tested the virus on cultures of human brain tissue with the same type of cancer. Again, the virus only attacked glioblastoma cells, while leaving healthy cells alone. This process was even more effective when combined with a chemotherapy drug, temozolomide, which barely has any effect on glioblastoma by itself.
Though these results are promising, further extensive research is still required before scientists will be able to determine whether the virus is safe to test on people. Many people are scared of being injected with a virus that had such a recent and widespread outbreak and fear that it will damage healthy cells or affect brain development. However, modifications are being made and even though weakened forms of the virus aren’t as effective, they are safer for the human body. Also, the adult brain contains a significantly lower amount of active STEM cells than a growing fetus or infant. The Zika virus only targets these immature cells, so its effect on adults is much less severe. Because of that, the chances of this treatment being made safe enough to use on kids is also significantly lower.
With that being said, it is important to note all the possibilities that the Zika virus holds in finally finding a cure for cancer. Glioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer and it’s frequently lethal, only 27% have a chance of surviving over 2 years after they’ve been diagnosed. By utilizing the Zika virus’s existing properties of killing developing cells, we can considerably decrease the fatality rate of this cancer and save hundreds of lives. In addition, the Zika virus permanently removes the tumor by exposing it to the immune system in a way that existing treatments, like chemotherapy and surgery, cannot. As Milan Chheda, a medical student at Washington University says, “It is so frustrating to treat a patient as aggressively as we know how, only to see his or her tumor recur a few months later.” If we use the Zika virus to treat the cancer, we would have a way to prevent it from returning ever again. While it might seem like the Zika virus is nothing but a global health threat, it may actually have a solution to one of the world’s most notorious diseases.
Works Cited
“Zika Virus Could Be Used to Treat Brain Cancer Patients, Study Suggests.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 5 Sept. 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170905093550.htm.
Hamers, Laurel. “Could Zika Become a Cancer Treatment?” Science News for Students, 10 Oct. 2017, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/could-zika-become-cancer-treatment.
Glioblastoma and Malignant Astrocytoma. Glioblastoma and Malignant Astrocytoma, American Brain Tumor Association, 2017, www.abta.org/secure/glioblastoma-brochure.pdf.
Lee, Bruce Y. “Can Zika Be A Treatment For Brain Cancer?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 9 Sept. 2017,https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/09/09/can-zika-be-a-treatment-for-brain-cancer/#6de425993cc6
Roberts, Michelle. “Zika Virus Used to Treat Aggressive Brain Cancer.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Sept. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/health-41146628.