In an unexpected twist to the pandemic, Australian researchers have discovered that Covid could hold the cure one of the nation’s biggest killers.
The “once-in-a-lifetime” discovery from researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the University of Melbourne focused on using people’s natural immunity from Covid-19 to target cancer.
Using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy, the team used T cells, which are naturally occurring in white blood cells and help build immunity to viruses, to their advantage.
They took the T-cells, which were produced when a person had Covid or was vaccinated against it, and genetically re-engineered them to identify and attack cancer cells. These cells were then reinjected back into the patient and they were given a Covid vaccine.
“This new research is really exciting, it uses Covid-19 immunity, T ‘killer’ cells, to recognise Covid, engineers them to attack breast cancer cells – really clever,” Professor Robert Booy told Nine.
Currently, it has limitations, as the research has shown promise in treating some blood cancers, but not solid tumours. However, researchers are hoping to soon change that.
There have been positive results in test tubes, and human trials are expected to begin within the next three years.
“It’s an extraordinary, almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use what is almost population-wide immunity to Covid-19 to harness that potential to treat breast cancer,” Professor Cleola Andereisz said.
Breast cancer survivors like Jessica Pugliese said this news offered some hope to people like her.
“There’s always that fear that it will come back and when will it come back, so for people to not have that burden on their shoulders, it would just be fantastic,” she told Nine.
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