Grim-looking ‘Last of Us’ fungus that grows out of caterpillars ‘slows cancer spread and could treat disease’
AN orange zombie fungus that sprouts from the backs of caterpillars could be used to fight cancer, new research suggests.
Scientists have found the fungus, called Cordyceps, works by stopping cell growth signals that are overactive in cancer cells.
They believe it could offer patients a less harmful treatment than current options, like chemotherapy and radiation.
Cordyceps gained fame in The Last of Us TV show and video game, where it turns people into zombies.
When this fungus infects a host, it takes control of their mind and motor functions, effectively turning them into puppets.
The research, published in FEBS Letters, discovered that Cordycepin works by disrupting growth signals in cancer cells without damaging healthy tissues.
This orange fungus has long been used in traditional Asian medicine, but only now are researchers beginning to understand its cancer-fighting properties.
Using advanced technology, the team from the University of Northampton School of Pharmacy studied Cordycepin’s effect on thousands of genes and found that it is converted into Cordycepin Triphosphate, a compound that blocks cancer cell growth.
Lead author, Dr Cornelia de Moor said: “We have been researching the effects of Cordycepin on a range of diseases for a number of years and with each step we get closer to understanding how it could be used as an effective treatment.
“One of the exciting things to have been happening is that it has become easier and less expensive to do these very large experiments, so we were able to examine thousands of genes at the same time.
“Our data confirms that Cordycepin is a good starting point for novel cancer medicines and explains its beneficial effects.
“For instance, derivatives of cordycepin could aim to produce the triphosphate form of the drug to have the same effect.
“In addition, the data will help with monitoring the effects of cordycepin in patients, as our data indicate particular genes whose activity reliably responds to cordycepin, which could for instance be measured in blood cells.”
Meanwhile, a host of deadly fungi are on the rise, posing a huge threat to humanity.
Since the Covid pandemic, experts have noticed an increase in deadly fungal diseases among hospitalised patients.
Cordyceps is not on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) priority pathogen list.
This is because it doesn’t infect humans – but it can kill a wide range of insects.
In ants, cordyceps slowly infect its victims by mind-controlling the host to migrate to a humid climate where the conditions are perfect for its growth.
Once a suitable environment has been found, the ant will dig its jaws into a plant and await death.
Other cancer breakthroughs
IT’S a worrying fact that more than half of us will get cancer in our lifetime.
Each year around 385,000 people are diagnosed and 167,000 lives are lost to the disease in the UK . . . and experts have warned of an alarming new surge in the young.
But, in the face of rising cases, there is good news — the future of cancer care looks brighter.
Personalised medicine
Perhaps the most exciting new avenue of research is tailoring medicine to treat a patient’s cancer based on their own tumour’s genetic make-up.
Professor Lawrence Young, an oncologist who has been working in cancer research for 40 years, says: “We’ve learnt that by profiling the genetics, you almost get a barcode for an individual’s cancer.
“Just because somebody’s got the same stage and grade of cancer, doesn’t mean it should be treated the same, or with a particular combination of drugs.”
The NHS announced in May that it would trial personalised cancer vaccines designed by biotech giants BioNTech and Genentech.
Some 10,000 patients in England are set to get their very own disease-busting jab by 2030, through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.
Immunotherapy
Dubbed the “biggest breakthrough since chemo”, immunotherapy harnesses the power of the immune system to fight cancer.
Antibodies seek out and mark the diseased cells for destruction but spare surrounding healthy tissue, unlike chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Prof Young says: “We’ve known for 100 years the body tries to fight cancer with the immune system but it doesn’t really work.
“Cancer cleverly learns how to get around the immune response. It can switch off the way the immune system recognises it – but these antibodies can switch it back on again.
“Antibodies are effective alone, but where they are most effective is in combination with another type of immunotherapy.”
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) brings cancer cells out from hiding.
It has been approved for treating several cancers on the NHS, including melanoma, cervical, breast and lung cancer. But its use could be extended to bowel cancer.
Targeted cancer drugs
These work more precisely to stop cancer cells from dividing and growing, while limiting damage to healthy cells – and their uses are expanding.
Prof Young says: “This is targeting the machinery of the genetic mutations that drive cancer.
“Some are targets we’ve known about for years but were difficult, until recently, to develop drugs for.
“The normal growth of our cells is controlled by switches which become mutated and permanently switched on in cancer cells.
“Now, after years of research, we have targeted drugs which can switch off these growth signals.”
Kinase inhibitors are targeted drugs – small molecules that stop certain enzymes involved in cancer growth.
Lorlatinib, branded as Lorviqua, is used for a handful of patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
But after “groundbreaking” results in May, campaigners hope it will become a lifeline for the 350 people in the UK who are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year.
Blood tests
Early diagnosis is still the best weapon against cancer and its devastating impacts.
Blood tests are becoming increasingly sensitive in spotting the disease.
Prof Young says: “Current blood tests aren’t that great. For example, we measure the proteins PSA, for prostate cancer, or CEA, for ovarian cancer, but they’re not very specific.
“We want to do our best to cure cancer with early diagnosis, and with these interesting blood tests it might be possible to identify cancer early and remove it before we get too far.”
These new blood tests can “identify minuscule amounts of DNA shed from tumour cells into the blood”, Prof Young says.
The NHS has been trialling the Galleri blood test in England and Wales, using 140,000 volunteers so far, and will continue until 2026