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Published on: November 24, 2014
Murine Tumor Models for Oncolytic Rhabdo-Virotherapy
Theresa Falls1, Dominic Guy Roy1, John Cameron Bell1
1Theresa Falls is a research technician at the Centre for Innovative Cancer Research at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada. Dominic Guy Roy is a Ph.D candidate at the Centre for Innovative Cancer Research at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, and a Ph.D candidate in the Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology Department at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada. John Cameron Bell is a senior researcher at the Centre for Innovative Cancer Research at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, and professor in the Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology Department at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada. Marie-Claude Bourgeois-Daigneault is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Innovative Cancer Research at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, and a postdoctoral fellow in the Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology Department at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada.
Murine tumor models are essential for preclinical cancer therapy research, especially for oncolytic virotherapy. This review details using vesicular stomatitis virus in these models to study cancer treatment efficacy and safety.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- Preclinical cancer therapy research relies on animal models for evaluating novel treatments.
- In vitro and ex vivo methods offer initial insights but lack the complexity of a tumor microenvironment and immune system.
- Tumor-bearing animals are crucial for comprehensive assessment of therapeutic delivery, efficacy, and safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the application of murine tumor models in preclinical studies of oncolytic virotherapy.
- To discuss the use of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as a model oncolytic virus.
- To explore techniques for evaluating VSV-based cancer therapy in various animal models.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing immunocompetent and immunodeficient murine models.
- Investigating toxicity and therapeutic effects of vesicular stomatitis virus.
- Employing diverse techniques to study Rhabdovirus-based cancer therapies.
Main Results:
- Vesicular stomatitis virus demonstrates potential as an oncolytic agent in preclinical models.
- Different murine models provide distinct insights into therapy-host interactions.
- Established methods allow for detailed analysis of oncolytic virotherapy efficacy and safety.
Conclusions:
- Murine models are indispensable for advancing oncolytic virotherapy research.
- Vesicular stomatitis virus serves as a valuable tool for studying cancer treatment within a complex biological system.
- Further research using these models will refine the development of viral cancer therapies.

