Most people infected with human herpesvirus 8, also called Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, likely will not have any health issues or symptoms from it. The virus is not curable, but it stays dormant in people with a normal, healthy immune system.
However, when the immune system is suppressed from HIV or another health issue, that virus can lead to the development of a rare form of cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma.
UW Carbone Cancer Center researcher Marta Gaglia, PhD, and her team are studying how this form of herpes behaves when it’s in cells and what biological changes lead to cancer development. Understanding these processes can help researchers develop precision treatment approaches.
“This cancer is completely related to the virus. It’s not entirely clear if you have to get rid of the dormant virus, or if it would be enough to get rid of the replicating (active) virus, but in principle, if you can get rid of the virus, you will be able to end the cancer,” she said.
Kaposi’s sarcoma forms in the lining of blood and lymph vessels, and it causes lesions on the skin and mucus membranes. It can also affect the gastrointestinal tract. It’s relatively rare in the U.S. and typically affects patients with HIV/AIDS. Worldwide, Kaposi’s sarcoma is more common in equatorial Africa, and men over 60 who are of Mediterranean, Southwest Asian, Eastern European or Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at a higher risk for it.
Gaglia’s team is investigating ways to initiate a targeted immune response against Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus exploiting pathways that are not impaired during AIDS. Typically, the body uses interferons, a type of immune signaling protein, to alert cells to increase their defenses against a virus. However, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus doesn’t trigger that response.
The lab has observed cell signaling pathways the virus exploits to evade an immune response, and they recently received funding to create a 3D tissue-like models that can mimic that body environment and let them observe over time how the virus progresses into cancer. Scientist I Deepak Kumar is leading this work.
“There are no animal models for Kaposi’s sarcoma, so that's been the main hurdle for research,” according to Kumar.
By creating a more authentic study environment, they hope to advance new research into treatments that can control the virus. One area of interest is how to help the body recognize the presence of the virus and create a targeted immune response.