Cancer-causing virus blocks human immune response, study shows

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California at San Francisco have revealed how a type of cancer-causing virus called Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) outwits the human body’s immune response. By helping explain why some cancer therapies fail, the discovery might lead to more effective treatments. EBV, a virus of the herpes family, causes an estimated 200,000 cancers every year, including lymphomas, nasopharyngeal cancers and some stomach cancers. Better anti-viral drugs could help thousands of people suffering from these cancers. Many viruses, including EBV, carry small molecules called microRNAs that they use to hijack natural processes in a host’s cells during an infection. Viral microRNAs are known to prevent host cell death, promote host cell growth and dampen the host cell’s viral defenses. However, scientists don’t yet know which viral microRNAs perform which functions. Jennifer Cox, a graduate student working with Associate Professor Chris Sullivan at The University of...