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Updated: Nov 30, 2025
Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
Published on: January 7, 2019
Oncolytic Adenovirus in Cancer Immunotherapy
1Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Abstract:
Tumor-selective replicating "oncolytic" viruses are novel and promising tools for immunotherapy of cancer. However, despite their first success in clinical trials, previous experience suggests that currently used oncolytic virus monotherapies will not be effective enough to achieve complete tumor responses and long-term cure in a broad spectrum of cancers. Nevertheless, there are reasonable arguments that suggest advanced oncolytic viruses will play an essential role as enablers of multi-stage immunotherapies including established systemic immunotherapies. Oncolytic adenoviruses (oAds) display several features to meet this therapeutic need. oAds potently lyse infected tumor cells and induce a strong immunogenic cell death associated with tumor inflammation and induction of antitumor immune responses. Furthermore, established and versatile platforms of oAds exist, which are well suited for the incorporation of heterologous genes to optimally exploit and amplify the immunostimulatory effect of viral oncolysis. A considerable spectrum of functional genes has already been integrated in oAds to optimize particular aspects of immune stimulation including antigen presentation, T cell priming, engagement of additional effector functions, and interference with immunosuppression. These advanced concepts have the potential to play a promising future role as enablers of multi-stage immunotherapies involving adoptive cell transfer and systemic immunotherapies.
Insights
Oncolytic adenoviruses (oAds) show promise in cancer immunotherapy by triggering anti-tumor immune responses. Advanced oAds, engineered with functional genes, can enhance multi-stage immunotherapies for better cancer treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Virology
- Immunotherapy
Background:
- Oncolytic viruses are emerging as potent tools for cancer immunotherapy.
- Current oncolytic virus monotherapies show limitations in achieving complete tumor responses.
- Advanced oncolytic viruses are poised to be crucial enablers of multi-stage immunotherapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of oncolytic adenoviruses (oAds) as enablers of multi-stage cancer immunotherapies.
- To highlight the features of oAds that support their role in enhancing anti-tumor immune responses.
- To discuss the engineering of oAds with functional genes for amplified immunostimulatory effects.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing oncolytic adenoviruses (oAds) that selectively replicate within tumor cells.
- Leveraging the capacity of oAds to induce immunogenic cell death and tumor inflammation.
- Engineering oAd platforms with heterologous genes to optimize immune stimulation.
Main Results:
- oAds effectively lyse infected tumor cells, initiating a strong immunogenic cell death process.
- oAds promote tumor inflammation and stimulate robust anti-tumor immune responses.
- Integration of functional genes into oAds enhances antigen presentation, T cell priming, and modulates immunosuppression.
Conclusions:
- Oncolytic adenoviruses (oAds) are highly effective in lysing tumor cells and initiating anti-tumor immunity.
- Engineered oAds with specific genes can significantly amplify immunostimulatory effects.
- Advanced oAds represent a promising strategy for enabling and enhancing multi-stage cancer immunotherapies, including adoptive cell transfer and systemic treatments.
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