UC chemical and nanoengineers are transforming a plant virus—the Cowpea Mosaic Virus (CPMV)—into a powerful cancer immunotherapy. By injecting this harmless virus directly into a tumor, researchers "reprogram" the patient's immune system to recognize cancer as a threat. This creates an abscopal effect, where the body’s trained immune cells hunt and destroy metastatic tumors elsewhere. Successfully tested in canine patients with aggressive cancers, this low-cost, plant-based treatment is now moving toward human clinical trials.
