[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/11069\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFighting brain tumours with the help of viruses and molecules\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Marta Alonso, a Spanish biomedical researcher, developed an interest in paediatric brain tumours during a traineeship in the US state of Texas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlonso had a chance encounter in 2007 at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston with the family of a teenager with medulloblastoma \u2013 an untreatable brain tumour that is also the most common type in children. The meeting steered her to an area of the profession with no heart-warming success stories but the potential for important advances.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECareer-determining moment\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Talking to this family and understanding the difficulties and the lack of available treatments made me decide that studying paediatric brain tumours was what I wanted to do,\u2019 said Alonso.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter returning to Spain and setting up her own laboratory in 2010, she began researching cancer treatments in an emerging area called oncolytic virotherapy. This field \u2013 counterintuitively perhaps to non-specialists \u2013 involves the use of viruses to treat cancers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow Alonso, a faculty member in the Medical Oncology Department of the University of Navarra in Spain, leads a research project that received EU funding to make advances in virus-based treatments for brain tumours.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECalled \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/817884\u0022\u003EViroPedTher\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;the project began in March 2019 and is due to run through August 2024.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor decades, researchers have been trying to improve the prospects for people diagnosed with brain cancer. Most patients \u2013 97% \u2013 die within five years of diagnosis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor every 100 000 people in the EU, approximately 11 men and 8 women develop brain tumours each year, according to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu\/index.php\u0022\u003EEuropean Cancer Information System\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Over \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gco.iarc.fr\/today\/data\/factsheets\/populations\/908-europe-fact-sheets.pdf\u0022\u003E50 000 Europeans\u003C\/a\u003E and 250 000 people globally die annually from such cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EImmune-system support\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are over 100 types of brain tumours, some more aggressive than others, and survival rates are generally low.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EViroPedTher focuses on two relatively rare types: gliomas and teratoid\/rhabdoid tumours.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe think we are on a right track to find a treatment that could make a difference.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Marta Alonso, ViroPedTher\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth develop deep in the brain and affect children as young as three years. Many of these tumours can\u2019t be surgically removed as a result of their position in the brain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In some cases, you can use radiotherapy and there are different mixtures of drugs,\u2019 said Alonso. \u2018But the survival rate is very poor and the quality of life of those who live longer is usually very poor due to the side effects of treatment.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer approach is to use viruses as a natural ally to help stimulate the immune response of the human body to attack and destroy cancer cells.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe develops modified viruses, designed to trigger specific genetic pathways that encourage immune cells to attack tumour cells more aggressively.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETrial with children\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists have long known that, in some cases, viral infections can boost the immune system and help cancer patients fight off their tumours.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut common viruses may also weaken vulnerable patients and hasten their deaths.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlonso and her team are trying to create viruses that could deliver the benefits without the risks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a clinical trial, the researchers injected a modified adenovirus \u2013 one of the many viruses that cause the common cold \u2013 into the brain tumours of 12 patients as young as about three years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe adenovirus was genetically modified to maximise the immune response to the cancer cells. The children gained on average six months of life, living almost 18 more months from a usual period without the treatment of 12 months, according to Alonso.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We didn\u2019t record any significant adverse effects, so we think we are on a right track to find a treatment that could make a difference,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlonso and her team are fine-tuning the virus to improve its ability to turn the immune system against the tumours. The researchers hope to conduct larger-scale clinical trials as soon as mid-2024.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGlowing brains\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EViruses aren\u2019t the only potential allies in the fight against brain tumours. Light is too.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis was the focus of a separate EU-funded research project led by Dr\u0026nbsp;Theodossis Theodossiou, a senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Research of Oslo University Hospital in Norway.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThis approach could offer a cure.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Theodossis Theodossiou, Lumiblast\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENamed \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/712921\u0022\u003ELumiblast\u003C\/a\u003E, the project\u0026nbsp;ran for more than six years until end-January 2023 and has raised hopes of its own breakthrough. In addition to Norway, the researchers came from Greece, Spain and the UK. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team examined the ability of light-sensitive compounds like protoporphyrin IX \u2013 which is naturally produced in human cells \u2013 to destroy brain tumours from within and avoid the need for surgery.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers focused on glioblastoma, which accounts for 35% to 40% of all cases of cancerous brain tumours.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProtoporphyrin IX accumulates preferentially in glioblastoma cells. Neurosurgeons currently use its ability to glow when illuminated by light to define the boundaries of tumours during surgery.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen exposed to light, protoporphyrin IX produces oxygen byproducts called \u201creactive oxygen species\u201d that destroy cancer cells, according to Theodossiou.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese molecules could, in theory, eat the tumour from the inside \u2013 if enough light could somehow be provided.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The problem is that tissue is not easily penetrable by light,\u2019 said\u0026nbsp;Theodossiou. \u2018The penetration is probably limited to a few millimetres.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a result, even with open-cranium surgery needed to allow the light to penetrate, it\u2019s impossible to reach all parts of the cancer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENatural chemistry\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo the Lumiblast researchers took another route to the same end: they hunted for compounds capable of producing a chemical reaction that would make them glow and thereby activate protoporphyrin IX without direct exposure to external light.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe process is called chemiluminescence, which also lights up fireflies as well as manufactured objects such as glow sticks, party decorations, kites and emergency lighting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe compounds could be injected into the patient\u2019s blood stream or administered through a drip, according to\u0026nbsp;Theodossiou.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis team tested a handful of promising compounds. Several, as a result of the chemiluminescent reactions, helped destroy cultured glioblastoma cells in the lab as well as in small tumours implanted under the skin of mice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch has continued since the project ended and the researchers plan as soon as 2024 to test this method on tumours in animal brains.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheodossiou believes that initial studies with human patients could start in two to three years as long as the necessary funding is available.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are very optimistic and believe that this approach could offer a cure,\u2019 he said. \u2018We will be more certain after the next phase of animal experiments.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU via the European Research Council (ERC). The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EBeating cancer \u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EEurope accounts for a quarter of the world\u2019s cancer cases while representing 10% of the global population.\u0026nbsp;In the EU in 2020, 2.7 million people were diagnosed with cancer and another 1.3 million people died from the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/funding\/funding-opportunities\/funding-programmes-and-open-calls\/horizon-europe\/eu-missions-horizon-europe\/eu-mission-cancer_en\u0022\u003EEU Mission on Cancer\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;aims to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through a range of actions including treatment. As a major component of the EU\u2019s investment in cancer research and innovation, the Mission will deepen understanding of the disease, focus on prevention and earlier diagnosis and improve patients\u2019 quality of life during and after their treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETogether with the Mission, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/IP_21_342\u0022\u003EEurope\u2019s Beating Cancer Plan\u003C\/a\u003E is tackling the entire disease pathway from prevention to quality of life. It will enable expertise and resources to be shared across the EU, helping researchers exchange findings and medical staff and hospitals to tap into common sources of data.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-whyjtf-z1ucqvhiajtvij-m7xmcl68bset8tx6qxj4s\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-WhYjTf_z1UCQvHIAJTVIj_M7xMCl68BSeT8tX6qxJ4s\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]