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HIV will help in the treatment of cancer
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Could HIV be turned into a biotech weapon against cancer? Could a deadly virus defeat cancer cells?
Scientists from the CNRS laboratory, who have been conducting research in this area, will be able to answer this question.
In the fight against cancer, specialists have developed a fundamentally new method, which is a completely new technique – cancer treatment using a protein extracted from the AIDS virus. This protein gives the virus resistance to the body's immune systems.
The results of the research were published in the scientific journal PLoS Genetics. Based on the fact that HIV constantly renews itself, a certain type of its mutant protein was selected.
Experts have discovered that it is capable of depriving cancer cells of the ability to restore DNA after irradiation.
The study of this phenomenon was conducted by employees of the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Strasbourg. For several years, they tried to create a more effective formula for fighting cancer. By adding protein to a tumor cell culture in combination with anti-cancer drugs, the specialists achieved a positive result.
To begin, the scientists altered the HIV genome by introducing a gene found in all human cells - deoxycytidine kinase, a protein that activates anti-cancer drugs.
In the future, HIV infection could be used to produce drugs with long-term therapeutic effects for the treatment of cancer.
Scientists managed to identify almost 80 mutated proteins and test them in infected cells in combination with antitumor drugs.
After analyzing the effects of mutant proteins on cancer cells, the experts selected the most effective samples of deoxycytidine kinase.
To survive in the human body, the AIDS virus uses human cells as a building material, with the help of which it reproduces. First of all, the virus populates the host cells with its genetic material. A distinctive feature of HIV is its constant mutation and, consequently, the creation of several mutation models during its existence. It is this ability that allows the virus to remain immune to antiviral drugs and to reproduce itself.
The new method gives scientists hope for the possibility of reducing the dose of antitumor drugs for patients, and therefore reducing the side effects caused by their toxicity.
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