FDA-approved cancer drug halts Epstein-Barr virus–driven lymphoma growth


Researchers at The Wistar Institute have found that FDA- approved cancer drugs known as PARP1 inhibitors can effectively stop the growth of lymphomas driven by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), offering a promising new treatment approach for these aggressive cancers. Published in the Journal of Medical Virology [1], the study reveals that these drugs - already used in other cancers - block EBV’s ability to activate genes that promote tumour growth.


“This isn’t just a new use for an existing drug - it represents a completely different mechanism of action in a viral cancer,” said Dr Italo Tempera, senior author and Associate Professor in the Genome Regulation and Cell Signaling Program at Wistar’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center. “Instead of inducing DNA damage, as seen in other cancers, PARP1 inhibitors in EBV-driven tumours disrupt the virus’s control over the host’s gene expression.”


EBV infects more than 90% of the global population. Most remain symptom-free, but immunocompromised individuals - including those with HIV or organ transplants - face higher risks of EBV-associated lymphomas and other cancers. Despite EBV’s clear role in cancer development, no therapies currently target its specific pathways.


Dr Tempera’s team focused on PARP1, an enzyme known for DNA repair, but which also enables EBV to manipulate gene activity in infected cells. “PARP1 acts like a key EBV uses to unlock cancer-promoting genes,” explained Dr Tempera. “Blocking PARP1 denies the virus access.”


Dr Tempera. “Blocking PARP1 silences the conductor, collapsing the cancer program.”


Because talazoparib is already clinically approved with a well-established safety profile, this discovery could accelerate repurposing for EBV-related cancers. The researchers are now exploring effects in other EBV-driven malignancies such as nasopharyngeal and gastric cancers.


Beyond oncology, the team is investigating PARP1’s role in autoimmune diseases potentially linked to EBV. “Understanding how EBV interacts with host gene regulation opens doors far beyond lymphoma,” Dr Tempera noted. “This is a powerful example of how fundamental virology can lead to new therapies.”


Dr Italo Tempera and Sarah Alp. Credit The Wistar Institute


Testing talazoparib (BMN 673), a PARP inhibitor approved for breast cancer, in mice with EBV-driven lymphoma yielded striking results: tumour growth dropped by 80%, and cancer spread was significantly reduced - without the usual DNA damage seen with these drugs.


Further analysis uncovered the mechanism: inhibiting PARP1 disrupted the interaction between EBV’s protein EBNA2 and the human oncogene MYC, a key driver of tumour growth. “EBNA2 is like a conductor turning on genes like MYC to orchestrate cancer progression,” said


This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01 AI130209 and R01 GM124449 to I.T.; R01 AI153508, R01 CA259171, and R01 DE017336 to P.M.L.; and Core Grant P30 CA010815-53.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/Kw2e


1. PARP1 Inhibition Halts EBV+ Lymphoma Progression by Disrupting the EBNA2/MYC Axis published in the Journal of Medical Virology, 2025. Online publication.


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Blood-based biomarkers show promise for early Alzheimer’s detection


As rates of dementia rise with ageing populations, research has increasingly focused on identifying the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s. Disease processes can begin decades before the first signs of memory loss, yet detection methods such as PET imaging or cerebrospinal fluid analysis remain invasive and costly.


Now, a team at the University of Turku’s Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine has found that even middle-aged individuals (aged 41–56) can carry elevated levels of blood biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These levels increased with age and were also found to correlate with concentrations in older parents (aged 59–90) - particularly mothers. The study [1] involved over 2,000 participants from the ongoing national Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.


A population study from Finland suggests that early signs of Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable in the brain as early as middle age. The findings open up possibilities for earlier intervention using blood-based biomarkers - potentially allowing preventive treatments to be targeted before cognitive symptoms arise.


Researchers also found that kidney disease may influence biomarker levels in midlife. The APOE ε4 gene - a known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s - was linked to higher biomarker levels in older age, though not significantly in the younger cohort.


“These ultrasensitive measurement technologies allow us to detect Alzheimer’s-related brain pathology through a simple blood test,” said Senior Researcher Suvi Rovio, who led the study. “However, blood-based diagnostics still lack clear reference values and remain vulnerable to confounding factors, which can increase the risk of misdiagnosis.”


The team emphasises that more research is needed across diverse populations and age groups to standardise biomarker thresholds and confirm their clinical utility.


“Until now, most studies have focused on older individuals,” added Senior Researcher Marja Heiskanen. “Our findings give us new insight into how Alzheimer’s-related changes may start emerging decades earlier.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/3701


1. Factors related to blood-based biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases and their intergenerational associations in the Young Finns Study: a cohort study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity


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ERC grant funds study of brain’s sugar code and human neural wiring


Professor Urtė Neniškytė of Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) has been awarded a prestigious €2 million European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant to investigate how sugar molecules help shape the human brain.


Her five-year project, GlycoCirc, will study the brain’s glycocalyx - a sugar-rich coating on neurons - and its role in forming neural circuits during development. The aim: to understand how these little-known sugar structures guide cell-to-cell interactions and potentially influence what makes the human brain unique.


“The glycocalyx has been overlooked in neuroscience for decades,” said Professor Neniškytė. “Yet these sugar molecules are the first thing a neuron uses to sense its environment.”


The glycocalyx resembles a dense forest of tiny sugar branches extending from brain cells. On neurons, this coating can be up to a micrometre thick and may help direct which synapses form, and which are pruned - a process crucial to brain development.


Neniškytė believes that subtle changes in this layer during early development could help explain the evolutionary leap seen in the human brain.


“Its structure is genetically unique to humans - even compared with bonobos. The timing of those molecular


differences matches the acceleration in human brain evolution,” she explained.


With ERC support, her team will use a combination of live- cell imaging, neuronal activity recording, and biochemical profiling to map how the glycocalyx develops and differs across species.


To explore these processes, the group will rely heavily on human and non-human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These can be turned into neurons, astrocytes, and microglia - allowing the team to recreate miniature brain- like systems in the lab.


The work also has implications for disease. Glycocalyx- related disorders often present with neurological symptoms - from epilepsy to neurodegeneration. The lab has already identified glycocalyx changes in human epilepsy tissue that appear to influence how neurons fire.


Beyond its scientific goals, the project will strengthen local expertise. The ERC grant will allow Professor Neniškytė to bring in two senior postdocs: one with experience in iPSC biology, the other with expertise in high-resolution neuronal recording.


“This funding opens up access to cutting-edge tools and global collaboration,” she said. “It brings new skills into our lab - and into Lithuania.”


Professor Urtė Neniškytė. Credit Vilnius University


The GlycoCirc project will run through 2030, adding to a growing body of European-funded research focused on the cellular and molecular foundations of cognition.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/Qp7x 65342pr@reply-direct.com


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