A virus that heals

Researchers plan to use plant virus to target and kill cancer cells

A virus that sickens turnip plants could become part of a novel method to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to tumor sites in the human body.

The project involves scientists from USC’s chemistry department and the School of Medicine and focuses on using the turnip yellow mosaic virus—harmless to humans—as a vehicle to carry nano-scale bits of cancer-fighting drugs. In initial experiments, the viral package would be linked with an antibody that targets breast cancer cells.

“Think of it like a ‘smart’ vehicle—a 30-nanometer police car that can find and kill the bad guys,” said Qian Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Researchers plan to scoop out the core of the turnip virus and stuff the shell with a cancer-fighting drug. The virus would be linked with an antibody that targets receptor sites on breast cancer cells.

“This is a proof of principle project—can we link the antibody to the virus and can it lead the virus to the breast cancer cells? If we can demonstrate that, there’s a lot of potential application for treatment of cancer,” said Kim Creek, a School of Medicine pathology professor who is collaborating with Wang and Lucia Pirisi-Creek, his wife and fellow pathology professor.