High intensity focused ultrasound and newly engineered single domain antibodies for non-invasive treatment of human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer

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Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer which affects younger women. This study investigates the development of a less invasive treatment for the disease. Rather than using the present standard-of-care which consists of surgery followed by chemo- and/or radiation therapy, Dr. Zehbe's team proposes to use a molecule that specifically targets the causative agent of cervical cancer itself. Human papilloamvirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted virus which is now known to be responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer. HPV produces proteins that can make cells malignant. One of them, called E6 protein, is our treatment target. This "anti-E6 molecule" approach will not cause the undesirable side effects associated with the current chemo-/radiation-therapy because it will selectively kill only cancerous cells, leaving healthy cells intact. Ultrasound, widely used already for imaging and therapeutic purposes, will be applied to help deliver the anti-E6 molecules directly inside the tumour, ensuring that these molecules get inside the cells and reach all parts of the tumour equally. Therefore, with our project we will address three objectives: 1) to prepare the anti-E6 molecules for safe and non-toxic delivery, 2) to pre-test these in the laboratory in cells and 3) to use an animal model to analyze the efficacy of anti-E6 molecules in a living host. Our team combines complementary knowledge in tumour biology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology, oncology and imaging-guided therapy. Scientists and clinicians will work together in an interdisciplinary manner to successfully obtain results that can be translated to patient care, thus reducing the morbidity of cervical cancer treatment considerably.