Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery linking Covid to cancer regression, potentially opening new avenues for treatment.
Researchers at Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute found that the virus responsible for Covid can trigger the development of special immune cells capable of attacking and destroying cancerous tissue.
The surprising findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that the same virus that caused global devastation could hold the key to fighting various types of cancer.
“It’s incredible, and a big surprise, that the same infection that caused so much devastation can help create a cancer-fighting cell,” said Dr Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern University.
The RNA molecules from the SARS-CoV-2 virus were found to create special immune cells known as “inducible nonclassical monocytes” or I-NCMs.
“We found that the same cells activated by severe Covid-19 could be induced with a drug to fight cancer, and we specifically saw a response with melanoma, lung, breast and colon cancer in the study,” explained Dr. Bharat.
These specialised cells have shown particular promise in treating cancers that are resistant to current therapies. In preliminary tests using animal models, the compound reduced tumours by 60 per cent to 70 per cent.
“What makes these cells so special is their dual capability,” Dr Bharat explained. “Typically, immune cells called non-classical monocytes patrol blood vessels, looking for threats. But they can’t enter the tumour site itself due to the lack of specific receptors.”
The I-NCMs created during Covid retain a unique receptor called CCR2, allowing them to infiltrate tumours directly. Once inside the tumour environment, these special cells release chemicals that recruit the body’s natural killer cells.
These killer cells then swarm the tumour and begin attacking cancer cells, helping to shrink the cancerous tissue. While the findings offer significant promise, researchers emphasise the research is still in its early stages, with effectiveness only studied in animal models.
“While this is still in the early stages, it offers hope that we might be able to use this approach to benefit patients with advanced cancers that have not responded to other treatments,” said Bharat.
The next crucial step will be conducting clinical trials to test if these findings can safely help cancer patients. More research is necessary before the treatment could be used in clinical settings, with trials likely years away.
The research specifically demonstrated effectiveness against several major types of cancer, including melanoma, lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.
What makes this discovery particularly unique is that only Covid’s RNA virus has shown this tumour-fighting capability. Other RNA viruses, such as the flu, do not trigger the same cancer-fighting immune response.
The findings could potentially create a new path forward for cancer patients who have exhausted traditional treatment methods, offering hope where conventional therapies have failed.
