Using a cancer-killing virus to treat advanced prostate cancer

Grant information

Why did we fund this project?

• There's an urgent need to develop improved treatments for advanced prostate cancer that is resistant to hormone therapy.
• Dr Gunnel Halldén and team had previously developed cancer-killing viruses, that could selectively infect and kill prostate cancer cells, whilst sparing healthy cells.
• The team had shown this exciting new treatment works well when injected directly into the cancer. However, to make sure the viruses reach all parts of a man’s cancer, including places outside the prostate where the cancer has spread, this treatment must be given through the blood.
• When given this way, the viruses get ‘stuck’ to certain components of the blood, that take them to be broken down in the liver. This reduces the amount of viruses that reach the cancer.
• In this project, the team developed a ‘protective coating’ to stop the viruses being broken down, and tested if this helped more of the treatment reach the cancer.

What did the team do?

• The team generated a ‘protective coating’ for the cancer-killing viruses that can repel the blood components, and so stop the viruses being broken down.
• The team tested whether this protective coating increased the amount of viruses that reached the prostate cancer in mouse models, and if this made the treatment more effective.

What did the team achieve?

• The team demonstrated that adding their protective coating helped more of the viruses reach prostate cancer, killing more cancer cells.
• Importantly, healthy cells were not affected by the viruses, limiting the potential for side effects.
• The team collaborated with another Prostate Cancer UK-funded researcher, Dr Jason Webber, to explore a different way of delivering viruses to prostate cancer, using small packages called ‘extracellular vesicles’. 

What does this mean for men?

• The team has shown that using a ‘protective coating’ can help deliver cancer-killing viruses to prostate cancer. This brings this treatment a big step closer to being tested in men.
• They now need to test the treatment in different models of prostate cancer, including prostate cancer tissue taken from men, to identify whether it is safe and is likely to work in humans.
• Clinical trials are then needed to show if this is a safe and effective treatment option for men with advanced prostate cancer.