Since the 1960s, EBV has been known to cause various cancers, primarily focusing on its connection to lymphomas. However, this new research aims to shift the spotlight onto EBV's role in epithelial cancers, which make up the most common and fatal forms of EBV-related cancer cases.

The NCI Program Project Grant (P01) is highly competitive and spans five years, providing ample time and resources for the team to delve deep into the unexplored aspects of EBV and malignancies. Dr. Italo Tempera, the associate professor of the Gene Expression & Regulation Program of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center at The Wistar Institute, expressed enthusiasm for the project's potential groundbreaking discoveries and innovative treatment strategies.

The team's approach is revolutionary, bringing together experts from various disciplines, including epigenetics, metabolomics, and drug discovery, to tackle the EBV-epithelial cancer link comprehensively. This collaborative strategy is expected to yield synergistic insights and expertise from each investigator.

Epithelial cancers are more common and deadly than their lymphoma counterparts, with higher mortality rates and treatment failures. Yet, they have received comparatively less attention in past research endeavors. This grant aims to rectify that by funding three main research projects:

1. Studying how EBV establishes a long-term infection within epithelial cells.
2. Investigating how EBV induces genetic and metabolic changes to trigger cancer growth.
3. Exploring new therapeutic strategies based on the findings from the previous projects.

The research will build on the accomplishments of Dr. Paul Lieberman's lab at Wistar, which has been actively developing small molecule inhibitors targeting EBV. The team will now focus on studying existing drugs and finding ways to make them more targeted or use them in combination with other therapies.

Dr. Tempera highlighted the significance of their integrated approach, studying both metabolic and epigenetic vulnerabilities simultaneously. This comprehensive understanding of EBV's role in cancer and its underlying mechanisms holds the potential for unique insights and therapeutic opportunities.

With EBV infecting an estimated 95% of people by adulthood, the implications of this research are immense. By unraveling the mysteries of EBV's link to epithelial cancers, the team aspires to pave the way for more effective treatments and better outcomes for patients facing these challenging malignancies.

Co-authors of the study include Ben Gewurz of Harvard; Joseph Salvino, Samantha Soldan, Andrew Kossenkov, Louise Showe, and Qin Liu of Wistar.

The grant will undoubtedly foster collaboration and innovation, making strides towards a future where EBV-related epithelial cancers are better understood and more effectively managed.