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Headlines 17 Reengineering the herpes virus to kill tumours Herpes, the common cold-sore virus, is being used in research to find treatments for brain tumours. Viruses are considered a viable treatment for brain cancer as they are extremely small and have evolved to infiltrate parts of the brain that modern medicine cannot easily reach. A Belgium-based study is using a strain of herpes in its experiments to develop a treatment for the incurable brain tumour glioblastoma. Dr Natacha Coppieters was given the opportunity to contribute to this research at the University of Liège in Belgium through a Philip Wrightson Fellowship she received from the Neurological Foundation. The Philip Wrightson Fellowship allows an outstanding post-doctoral researcher to undertake full-time research at institutions outside New Zealand, with the intention of returning home with advanced knowledge and skills. Natacha explains that a particular type of herpes virus was chosen for the study because it is harmless to the brain. The researchers then alter the virus with nanobodies or genes which direct the virus to kill glioblastoma cells. The focus is on targeting the recurring tumours that appear in the brain after surgery or chemotherapy treatment. “If you could imagine customising viruses with diverse nanobodies to ultimately target multiple proteins resulting in cell death,” Natacha says. “Our tests showed the virus was able to slow down tumour growth and significantly improved mice survival. Altogether our work should be considered as a great first step toward personalised glioblastoma virotherapies to complement current treatments.” Glioblastoma is incurable. It is the most aggressive and frequent brain tumour in adults, making any breakthrough in treatment extremely crucial. Dr Coppieters’ previous research on glioblastoma was also funded by the Neurological Foundation and was completed at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research. It tested if natural compounds produced by a biochemist would affect brain cancer cells. “I was fortunate to be able to work directly on brain samples. Every donation of brain tissue was such a precious gift from the patients, especially those that suffered from a disease,” Dr Coppieters says. “We maintained the cells alive, and you could see them moving, it was just incredible, like being inside a brain and watching it doing the work to make you move, talk, see or laugh. It was just wonderful.” “I was so lucky to be supported by the Foundation, to develop my own career, to be able to go overseas and learn new things, spread the research, spread the knowledge, and to be able to talk about the incredible things we are achieving in New Zealand.” Due to the pandemic, Natacha delayed her return to New Zealand. She is currently working for a biotech company developing therapeutics and plans to return within two years. Dr Natacha Coppieters is originally from Belgium and lived in New Zealand for 12 years. She completed a PhD on Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Auckland and received a Neurological Foundation small project grant for research on glioblastoma at the University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research. In 2017 Natacha was awarded a Philip Wrightson Fellowship to investigate new treatments for glioblastoma at the University of Liège in Belgium. "... it was just incredible, like being inside a brain and watching it doing the work to make you move, talk, see or laugh."