Therapeutic strategy targeting cancer, back pain, viruses discovered at Wilfrid Laurier University

Cancer, back pain, viruses like COVID-19, and many other ailments may now potentially be treated or prevented using new therapeutic technology, discovered by a researcher from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Stephanie DeWitte-Orr, an associate professor at Laurier's department of health sciences and biology, said the new technology can be customized to treat a variety of different ailments.

"We've used it to knock down virus production in human lung cells. We've used it to knock down oncogenes, so cancer-causing proteins, in brain tumour cells. We're also working on lower back-pain models to see if we can knock down inflammation," she said, adding that there are lots of other potential applications as well.

DeWitte-Orr, whose findings were recently published, said the molecules can be ingested through an inhaler to help people avoid getting sick with COVID-19.

"It would prime your airways so that if you come in contact with the [COVID] virus in your environment, your airway cells are prepared to fight it and the virus is not going to be able to get a foothold and infect," she said.

"So in that scenario, it would be something where if you know you're going somewhere with a lot of people, like a class or a grocery store, you can take the inhaler to protect yourself ... so that your airways would not be able to support virus replication."

She said they're still looking at whether the technology will work after you've already contracted COVID-19. They're also trying to find the best way to use the molecules to treat cancer.

"An inhaler works for a respiratory virus [like COVID]... because you're going to inhale the virus. But for something like cancer, you might be looking at something that's injectable or ingestible, like a pill."

The discovery is still waiting to start pre-clinical trials.

DeWitte-Orr says it could take five to ten years for the treatment to be available on the shelf.

She said in the future, she's hoping the technology can be used to help treat cancer or inflammatory diseases or any other ailments, adding that "the sky is the limit" for the technology.