Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
12:08
Ex Vivo Infection of Live Tissue with Oncolytic Viruses
Published on: June 25, 2011
Progress of oncolytic viruses in sarcomas
Christina K Lettieri1, Pooja Hingorani, E Anders Kolb
1Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA. clettieri@phoenixchildrens.com
Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy
|February 10, 2012
Summary
Oncolytic virotherapy shows promise for pediatric sarcomas, an aggressive cancer. Advances in viral engineering and understanding immune responses are improving treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- Pediatric sarcomas are aggressive cancers with poor response to current treatments.
- Oncolytic virotherapy offers a promising new avenue for treating these challenging pediatric malignancies.
- Recent clinical trials show encouraging results for oncolytic virus therapy in pediatric cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state and future potential of oncolytic virotherapy for pediatric sarcomas.
- To highlight advances in oncolytic virus engineering and their impact on efficacy.
- To emphasize the importance of understanding immune responses in optimizing treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of current clinical trials and research in oncolytic virotherapy for pediatric sarcomas.
- Discussion of genetic engineering strategies for enhancing oncolytic viruses.
- Analysis of the role of antiviral and anti-tumor immune responses.
Main Results:
- Oncolytic virotherapy is increasingly being investigated in pediatric malignancies, with five open clinical trials.
- Genetic modifications enhance viral tumor cell infection, oncolysis, and synergy with other therapies.
- Understanding immune responses is crucial for maximizing therapeutic benefits.
Conclusions:
- Oncolytic virotherapy is a developing and encouraging treatment modality for pediatric sarcomas.
- Continued research in viral engineering and immunology will refine and improve treatment efficacy.
- Further investigation is needed to fully realize the potential of oncolytic viruses in pediatric oncology.
Related Concept Videos
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...
02:07Tumor Progression
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
02:07Tumor Progression
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
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...
01:51Mechanisms 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...