Steinmetz and her colleagues began the new study by cultivating black-eyed pea plants in the lab and infecting them with the cowpea mosaic virus. The virus went to work replicating itself, creating millions of new copies for the researchers to collect.
Steinmetz notes that the resulting nanoparticles were already suitable for administering to mice in the experiments and required no modifications. They are “nature’s powerful nanoparticles, as produced in black-eyed pea plants,” she says.
That’s great! We only have to help the mice to cultivate it.
Why this virus? Why not any virus? It’s just “waking” the immune system and inducing inflammation?
According to the paper, the reason is that CPMV is non-infectious in mammals. It stimulates the immune system by activating pattern recognition receptors. PRRs are molecules on the surface of immune cells that recognize molecules associated with pathogens. When CPMV activates PRRs, it triggers a signaling pathway that leads to the release of immune cells and inflammatory molecules. This immune response can help to kill cancer cells.
So any plant virus should do similar?
No idea, I’m not a biologist, and the study doesn’t make it clear whether other plant viruses would have a similar effect on the immune system.
