In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have discovered an unbelievable link between COVID-19 infection and cancer regression – where tumours significantly decrease in size or extent. Researchers from Illinois used animal and human tissues to observe that the RNA molecules of the SARS-CoV-2 virus - responsible for the disease, triggered the development of a special cell in the immune system that has anti-cancer properties. Also known as inducible nonclassical monocytes or I-NCMs - these special cells attack cancer cells and can be used for treating cancers that are resistant to current therapies.
Researchers from Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute – which made the discovery, say the current studies may open avenues for more research on cancer. “This discovery opens up a new avenue for cancer treatment,” said Dr. Ankit Bharat, the Canning Thoracic Institute’s chief of thoracic surgery.
“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,” he added. As of now, effectiveness is only found in animals The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, is still in its early stages, with effectiveness as of now found only in animals. It, however, “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 Dr.