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Natural immunity to COVID-19 could be the key to curing cancer, according to a team of Australian researchers.
Researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne have found a way to use T cells, found in white blood cells, to their advantage.
T cells are a naturally occurring type of white blood cell, which help build immunity to viruses inside the body.
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Researchers have found a way to harness COVID-19 T cells from a person who has had the virus, by re-engineering them to identify and attack cancer cells when re-injected into the body.
"This new research is really exciting, it uses COVID-19 immunity, T 'killer' cells, to recognise covid, engineers them to attack breast cancer cells – really clever," Professor Robert Booy said.
So far, the therapy has shown promise in treating some blood cancers but not as effective with solid tumours like breast cancer.
However, researchers are hoping to change that and there are already positive results in test tubes, with human trials expected to begin within the next three years.
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"It's an extraordinary, almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use what is almost population-wide immunity to COVID-19 to harness that potential to treat breast cancer," Professor Cleola Andereisz said.
This new research offering some hope and comfort to breast cancer survivors like Jessica Pugliese.
"There's always that fear that it will comeback and when will it come back, so for people to not have that burden on their shoulders, it would just be fantastic," she told Nine News.
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