Developed by Chinese researcher, recombinant virus targets tumors

As modern biomedical science makes dramatic progress in the fight against cancer, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center has become a pioneer in fighting malignant tumors with genomic medicine.

One of Huang Wenlin's inventions - a genetically altered recombinant virus inserted with human endostatin - won a gold medal at the China Patent Awards last year. Of 15 gold medal winners, Huang's discovery was one of three medical patents.

The reconstructive virus mainly targets veins in tumor cells, Huang told China Daily in an email interview.

By preventing formation of veins in those cells, the virus can block the supply of nutrition and oxygen and eventually kill malignant growth, Huang said.

The unwanted cells are then naturally degraded by the body, so the approach does little harm to health and can be considered one of the safest yet found, associate professor Liu Ranye, one of Huang's colleagues, said in a telephone interview.

The tumor cells themselves are not as deadly as their pace of growth, Liu said. The patented virus is effective at checking their growth, he added.

Different from similar cancer treatments using substances made outside the body and then injected into the patient, the recombinant virus reproduces inside cells, said Lai Qingyu, a member of professor Huang's research team.

"Ours is not a one-time effect," Lai said.

"The virus can last much longer and work more efficiently inside the patient," Liu said.

The half-life of anti-tumor medicines - an index of working time - is usually just a few hours, while the patented virus continue to work for about a week, he said.

"The extended half-life means reduced costs and lessened pressure on patients (from injections)," he added.

Huang and his team have developed an injectable form of the virus called E10A that is now in clinical trials.

Designed to be injected directly into tumors, the clinical trial is treating head, neck, nose, throat and breast tumors.

Animals are used for other experiments on liver and prostate tumors.

"Now we are also researching direct vein injection and other methods," Huang said.

"Once we have more options for use of the medicine, more types of tumors will be treated," he said.

Overseas experience

Huang recalled that he started his research in 1988 while studying at Princeton University.

"The school's friendly atmosphere, sound facilities and rich resources provided an ideal research platform," he said.

As a team leader of an organic molecular project at the school, he had marked achievements and won a series of honors.

He was granted an award by the American Cancer Society in 1998 for his outstanding contribution in the field.

Huang then decided to return to his homeland and start his own business in 2001.

Promising prospects

At that time new, proprietary medicines from China, especially for treating cancer, were very limited, Huang said.

He said he has faith in his invention and its promising market prospects.

Working at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, he continued his research and founded a company to industrialize the results.

"Innovation and research remain the most valuable part of my life," he said, adding that his company is run by a professional manager.

The scientist aspired to become a doctor when he was young, and he majored in clinical medicine as an undergraduate.

Yet after graduation, he was assigned to work at a microbe institute in Hubei province rather than at a hospital.

Far from his original aspirations, he was originally disappointed.

But he came to enjoy working with microbes and conducting experiments. He continued to discover new questions and sought to resolve them.

In the end, he developed a keen interest in discovery and resolution. Because of the "unusual enjoyment" he experiences in the process, he is even reluctant to leave his lab.

"Now I feel uncomfortable if I have not been to the lab one or two weeks," he said.

His 20-strong team is made up of two groups, one mainly involved in clinical research and the other focused on production procedures.

Investment in research and industrialization for new medicines is huge, Huang said.

In addition to the company's input, as well as government financial aid, his team is also seeking strategic partners for funding, he said.

To date, two other Guangdong-based companies have been granted exclusive license for the patent in the United States and other markets.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/12/2011 page17)