Researchers discover how cowpea mosaic plant virus activates immune system against cancer

(Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) Cowpea mosaic virus, when injected into cancerous tumors, stimulates the immune system to attack and often eliminate the tumor. In a new study, immunology researchers in Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, characterize the previously unidentified pathways through which CPMV is recognized by the immune system, opening the door for pursuit of CPMV as a new biological cancer treatment.
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news