Most people carry the herpes simplex virus, which usually causes cold sores.
But scientists in Finland have found a way to turn this common virus into a powerful tool against cancer. By removing one of its harmful genes, researchers changed the virus so it no longer damages healthy tissue but still attacks cancer cells.
These cancer cells behave differently from normal cells, allowing the virus to target them. This new approach is detailed in a doctoral thesis at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
The key to this vaccine is a gene that produces a protein called decorin. Decorin is a special type of protein found in connective tissue. It helps with wound healing and the growth of new blood vessels.
Dr. Fanny Frejborg, who is finishing her Ph.D. in pharmacy, explained that decorin is often missing in many types of human cancers—even in places where it’s normally found. In cancer, tumors grow new blood vessels in a messy, disorganized way.
These faulty blood vessels make it harder for treatments to reach the tumor and help the cancer become more aggressive.
In the first part of her research, Dr. Frejborg showed that adding decorin to the herpes-based vaccine made it more effective at killing lung cancer cells. In the second part, she demonstrated that the vaccine could be safely delivered through the nose, directly into the lungs of mice.
The third part of the study tested the vaccine on liver cancer in chicken embryos. After just one dose, tumors treated with the vaccine had 40% less abnormal blood vessel growth.
In fact, the treated tumors developed more normal blood vessels, which can help other treatments work better. Importantly, the chicken embryos had no side effects, showing that the vaccine targets only cancer cells.
Dr. Frejborg believes this research could lead to new cancer vaccines that not only fight cancer without harmful side effects but also make other treatments more effective. By improving blood vessel growth around tumors, drugs can reach the tumor more easily and work better.
This work shows how a virus known for causing cold sores could be repurposed into a smart, safe, and powerful weapon against cancer.
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