A team from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), belonging to the Interuniversity Institute of Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM, UPV-UV), has led the development of a new strategy that seeks to leverage immunity against the measles virus to combat cancer. The study demonstrates, in experimental models, that it is possible to reprogram the body's defenses to recognize and destroy tumor cells effectively.

The technique is based on the use of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) capable of transporting messenger RNA to cancer cells, inducing the expression of a viral protein recognizable by the immune system. The research, published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, also involved the CIBER of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), the Joint Research Unit in Nanomedicine and Sensors UPV-IIS La Fe, the Joint Unit UPV-CIPF for Research into Disease Mechanisms and Nanomedicine, and the IMed- Research Institute for Medicines at the University of Lisbon.

According to Ramón Martínez Máñez from IDM (UPV), many tumors evade the immune system because they do not present clear signals for identification. To address this, they have designed a nanoparticle-based strategy that marks tumor cells with a signal the body already knows how to identify effectively, thanks to measles vaccination, thereby activating an immune response.

This immune activation was key to the observed therapeutic effect. "The expression of a measles virus protein in tumor cells simultaneously activates antibodies and cytotoxic T cells, which are directly responsible for eliminating tumor cells," explains Javier Martínez-Latorre, lead author of the study and also a researcher at IDM in UPV.

In experimental melanoma models, this activation resulted in a significant reduction in tumor growth, but only in animals previously vaccinated against measles, while no effects were observed in control groups or unvaccinated animals. Analyses confirmed that tumors treated with nanoparticles showed increased lymphocyte infiltration, greater cytotoxic activity, and an increase in tumor cell death, all without significant toxic effects on the body, reinforcing the strategy's potential for future clinical applications.

Beyond the observed anti-tumor effect, researchers highlight that the work's differential value lies in leveraging the immunological memory generated by vaccination, a resource previously little explored in cancer immunotherapy.

"One of the most notable aspects of this strategy is its potential global applicability. Immunity against measles is widespread thanks to vaccination programs, which would allow this approach to be applied to a large number of patients, potentially including different types of tumors," explains Alba García-Fernández, a researcher at the Joint Unit UPV-IIS La Fe.

The RNA and nanoparticle-based technology is highly modular, allowing it to be adapted to other viruses and targeted to different types of cancer. "Following the good results in experimental models, the next step will be to extend the strategy to other types of tumors, optimize the scalability of the nanoparticles, and evaluate combinations with other oncological treatments to enhance their efficacy," concludes Ramón Martínez Máñez.