A new Northwestern Medicine study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation has revealed a connection between COVID-19 infection and cancer regression. The team’s discovery could pave the way for novel cancer treatments.
In an unexpected twist, the scientists observed that the RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus – responsible for COVID-19 – triggered the development of a unique type of immune cell with anti-cancer properties. These cells, dubbed “inducible nonclassical monocytes (I-NCMs),” were found to attack cancer cells and could potentially be harnessed to treat cancers that are resistant to current therapies. These findings possibly explain the mechanism behind the reported regression of certain cancers following COVID-19 infection.
“This discovery opens up a new avenue for cancer treatment,” said Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of Thoracic Surgery, the Harold L. and Margaret N. Method Professor of Surgery and director of the Canning Thoracic Institute, who was senior author of the study. “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. While this is still in the early stages and the effectiveness was only studied in preclinical animal models, 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.”
The study, conducted using both human tissues and animal models, found that these unique immune cells could be pharmacologically stimulated using small molecules, potentially creating a new therapeutic option for cancer patients. This discovery could have significant implications, particularly for patients with aggressive or advanced cancers who have exhausted traditional treatment options such as immunotherapies.
How the body’s response to COVID-19 could help fight cancer
The investigators discovered that during COVID-19, a special subset of immune cells can be stimulated in the body. This process begins when the RNA from the virus activates certain signals in the immune system. These signals cause the transformation of common monocytes – an ordinary type of white blood cell – into I-NCMs. These newly formed cells have the ability to move into both the blood vessels and the surrounding tissue where tumors grow, something most other immune cells can’t do.
“What makes these cells so special is their dual capability,” Bharat said. “Typically, immune cells called non-classical monocytes patrol blood vessels, looking for threats. But they can’t enter the tumor site itself due to the lack of specific receptors. In contrast, the I-NCMs created during severe COVID-19 retain a unique receptor called CCR2, allowing them to travel beyond blood vessels and infiltrate the tumor environment. Once there, they release certain chemicals to recruit body’s natural killer cells. These killer cells then swarm the tumor and start attacking the cancer cells directly, helping to shrink the tumor.”
What’s next?
While this research is promising, Bharat cautions that more work is needed before this approach can be used in clinical settings.
“We are in the early stages, but the potential to transform cancer treatment is there. Our next steps will involve clinical trials to see if we can safely and effectively use these findings to help cancer patients,” Bharat said.
The team hopes that, with further research, they can develop therapies that specifically target these cells to treat cancers that are currently difficult to manage. This could lead to new treatment options for patients who have exhausted all other possibilities.
The research could potentially play an important role with the Canning Thoracic Institute’s Double Lung Replacement and Multidisciplinary Care (DREAM) Program, a first-of-its-kind clinical initiative at Northwestern Medicine that provides double-lung transplants to select patients with advanced lung cancers who are not responding to conventional treatments. To date, more than 40 patients have received double-lung transplants through the DREAM Program.
“While the program has been highly successful, we do anticipate that some patients might have recurrence. Since we’re using monocytes with our research, we could potentially treat DREAM patients without risking rejection of their new lungs,” Bharat said.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Canning Thoracic Institute, and conducted by a team of scientists from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and clinicians at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. For more information about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.
