Combining common heart medicine with virus to fight cancer

In a significant step forward for cancer treatment, researchers at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University have discovered a new tool in the battle against breast cancer. The initial findings from a recent study showed that combining a common medicine typically used for heart conditions, known as a beta-blocker, with a specially designed cancer-fighting virus can dramatically improve the effectiveness of treatments.

“At the heart of our approach is an ‘oncolytic herpes simplex virus,’ or oHSV,” said Bangxing Hong, PhD, an assistant professor at the Georgia Cancer Center. “This is not just any virus; it is a carefully engineered version of a common virus to target and infect cancer cells, multiplying inside them until they burst and die, all while leaving healthy cells nearby intact.”

During their research, Hong and his research team learned how cancer cells can manipulate our body’s own systems. The study, β-blocker suppresses both tumoral sympathetic neurons and perivascular macrophages during oncolytic herpes virotherapy, uncovered a surprising challenge: even as the cancer-fighting virus oHSV was doing its job attacking tumors, it inadvertently triggered a part of the body's nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system, or SNS. This system is responsible for your body's "fight or flight" response, kicking in when you feel scared or excited.