Professor K.W. Lo and Professor Anna Tsang, together with some industry experts and collaborators, hosted a press conference organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong on June 20, 2024, to announce the successful development of an innovative mRNA drug for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the most common cancer among Hong Kong men aged 20 to 44.
**The media response to the press conference was overwhelmingly positive, with extensive coverage across various platforms, including television, radio, newspapers, online media, and social media.
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been identified as a promising therapeutic target in EBV-associated cancers. ACE NanoMed has developed a unique mRNA-based "smart bomb" drug that specifically targets the EBV found in NPC patients. When injected into the bloodstream, the drug triggers an EBV-specific suicide mechanism, effectively killing the NPC cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.
Also known as the "Canton tumor," NPC is a distinct type of head and neck cancer with the highest incidence rates reported in Southeast Asia and Southern China. The development of NPC is dependent on EBV infection, which remains in latent stage and drives the oncogenesis processes in the cancer cells.
"Once EBV enters our cells, the virus can remain in a latent state and stay inactive. Upon reactivation, the virus enters the lytic cycle, and its host cell dies along in this process," explained Professor Anna Tsang. "The lipid nanoparticle we developed acts like a switch to activate the lytic cycle and induces detonation. From the study results, we showed the potency and safety of treatment with the activator to suppress tumor growth in EBV-positive cancer models."
Animal studies on mice have shown promising results, with the drug effectively killing cancerous cells while leaving vital organs like the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys unaffected, suggesting a favorable safety profile. This is a significant advantage over traditional chemotherapy, which can have severe side effects.
"mRNA drugs have been tried out in therapy for several cancer types, including liver cancer. We pioneered the trial of mRNA technology in NPC treatment and were delighted to see promising results in the mouse model, without resistance," said Professor K.W. Lo. "Since the drug targets EBV-positive cancer cells, fewer side effects are expected compared with chemotherapy, which doesn't only kill cancer cells. We anticipate this novel EBV-targeted drug can work in synergy with immunotherapy for better treatment outcomes."
The findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. This innovative mRNA drug for nasopharyngeal cancer holds great promise, not only for the treatment of NPC but also for other EBV-associated cancer types, marking a significant step forward in the fight against this devastating disease.