Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
12:42
Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
Published on: January 7, 2019
Oncolytic virotherapy for oral squamous cell carcinoma using replication-competent viruses
Kengo Saito1, Hiroshi Shirasawa, Naohisa Isegawa
1Department of Molecular Virology (E2), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Oral Oncology
|October 17, 2009
Summary
Oncolytic virotherapy uses viruses to target cancer cells, showing promise in clinical trials. Combination therapies and genetically modified viruses enhance efficacy for treating oral cancers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Virology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Oncolytic virotherapy employs viruses for selective cancer cell destruction, sparing healthy tissues.
- Current oncolytic agents show good safety and tolerability in clinical trials but limited monotherapy potency.
- Combination therapies with conventional treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, gene therapy) demonstrate enhanced efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development of oncolytic viruses for cancer treatment.
- To examine clinical trials of oncolytic virotherapy specifically for oral cancers.
- To discuss current challenges and future perspectives in oncolytic virotherapy, including Sindbis virus.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on oncolytic virus development and clinical trials.
- Analysis of advancements in recombinant DNA technology for creating tumor-selective and armed oncolytic viruses.
- Focus on clinical data pertaining to oral cancer treatment using oncolytic virotherapy.
Main Results:
- Oncolytic viruses are generally safe and well-tolerated in clinical settings.
- Combination strategies significantly improve the efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy.
- Genetically engineered viruses offer enhanced tumor selectivity and therapeutic potential.
Conclusions:
- Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising anticancer strategy, particularly when combined with other treatments.
- Further research and development, including the exploration of agents like Sindbis virus, are crucial for optimizing oral cancer treatment.
- Advances in genetic engineering are expanding the application and effectiveness of oncolytic viruses.
Related Concept Videos
02:49Cancer Therapies
Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
01:27Tumor Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retroviruses are RNA viruses that have been shown to cause cancers in diverse species, including chickens, mice, cats, and monkeys. The RNA genomes of these viruses are first reverse-transcribed into single and then double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) copies. This dsDNA called proviral DNA then integrates into the host genome. Subsequently, the host cell transcribes the proviral DNA in concert with the chromosomal DNA. This leads to the production of viral RNA and proteins that assemble at the host...