Source: Zhongshan School of Medicine
Written by: Zhongshan School of Medicine
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

Prof. Guangmei Yan and his research group at Zhongshan School of Medicine of Sun Yat-sen University published a latest research about the selective anti-tumor activity of a naturally occurring alphavirus, M1, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on October 7th, 2014 (see: www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/10/02/1408759111.full.pdf+html), Yuan Lin, Haipeng Zhang, and Jiankai Liang were listed as co-first authors.

Despite advances in cancer therapy over the past few decades, cancer is still a major health threat all over the world. Prof. Yan’s group has discovered that a novel oncolytic alphavirus, M1, isolated in Hainan Island of China, selectively kills various cultured cancer cells without affecting the primary normal ones. Cancer cells killed by M1 infection include liver cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and melanoma. In vivo studies show that intravenously administered M1 is significantly enriched in tumor tissues and suppresses tumor growth while normal tissues remain unaffected. In addition to in vitro and in vivo studies, Prof. Yan’s group has applied ex vivo experiments on primary human tumor surgical samples to further validate the effectiveness and specificity of the above oncolytic virus.

What’s more, they have proven the molecular genetic mechanism of the selectivity of M1. The deficiency of Zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP) in certain tumors is correlated with the oncolytic efficacy of M1. This finding provides reliable scientific basis for accurate clinical medication and personalized therapy. It will also largely enhance the possibility of success in its clinical trials in the future.

These findings have shed light on the mechanism of the novel oncolytic virus M1, which can  have profound significance in the development of new  targeted anti-cancer drugs for personalized therapy.