Repurposed cancer drug shows promise against drug-resistant herpes infections

UIC researchers have successfully repurposed an FDA-approved cancer drug, doxorubicin, to treat drug-resistant strains of herpes. Their work appears in the journal Drug Resistance Updates. 

"This opens up an unexpected, potentially fast-moving path toward treating drug-resistant herpes infections," said study leader Deepak Shukla, a virologist in the College of Medicine. "HSV-1 infections have serious, sometimes life-threatening consequences, and this drug may help save lives." 

Immunocompromised patients, including cancer patients, are especially vulnerable to HSV-1 infection, which can cause brain inflammation and organ failure when left untreated. Drug-resistant strains are especially difficult to eradicate.

In 2024, Shukla's team created HerpDock, a digital tool that combs through chemical compounds and flags those that may be effective against herpes infections. The program flagged doxorubicin, a known anticancer drug.

We were excited when we realized that doxorubicin is already FDA-approved. That matters because its safety profile and dosing are already well-understood. This drug could reach clinicians and patients much faster than a brand-new discovery."

Deepak Shukla, virologist, College of Medicine, UIC

Shukla said that in experimental trials, the drug consistently blocked HSV-1 infection across several strains of HSV-1 infections including in human cells, tissue models and mouse models. It also blocked strains resistant to the standard anti-herpes drug, acyclovir. 

Doxorubicin also works cooperatively with acyclovir, which can cause kidney damage when taken in large amounts. Taking doxorubicin plus a smaller dose of acyclovir may result in a smoother treatment process for patients.

Instead of targeting the herpes virus itself, doxorubicin works by targeting a pathway, PI3K–AKT–mTOR, that the virus uses to enter and take over cells. 

"We were excited to see how doxorubicin halts the virus at its source," said postdoctoral researcher and first author Pankaj Sharma. 

Divya Kapoor, a coauthor and UIC graduate student researcher, said working on this project helped her develop her thesis and learn new techniques. 

"I enjoyed being a part of something that can really help people," she said. "This discovery has the potential to prevent herpes-related deaths and improve patient outcomes around the world, including for cancer patients who use doxorubicin." 

Additional UIC authors include Sudhanshu Kumar Singh, Xiang Shen and Chandrashekhar D. Patil from the College of Medicine.