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Oncolytic Viruses: Newest Frontier for Cancer Immunotherapy

Masmudur M Rahman1, Grant McFadden1

  • 1Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.

Cancers
|November 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) offer a novel cancer therapy by selectively destroying cancer cells. Combining OVs with immunotherapy may enhance treatment effectiveness, particularly for "immune-cold" tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Virology
  • Immunotherapy

Background:

  • Cancer is a leading global cause of death with unmet therapeutic needs.
  • Current treatments lack efficacy for many cancer types.
  • Oncolytic viruses (OVs) show promise as a targeted cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review strategies for enhancing oncolytic virotherapy.
  • To explore the potential of combining OVs with immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Development and testing of various OV candidates.
  • Engineering OVs for enhanced anti-tumor immune responses.
  • Investigating combination therapies with existing immunotherapies.

Main Results:

  • OVs selectively target and eliminate cancer cells, sparing normal cells.
  • Engineering OVs can improve their anti-tumor immune activation.
  • Combining OVs with immunotherapy may convert "immune-cold" tumors to "immune-hot".

Conclusions:

  • Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising cancer treatment approach.
  • Further strategies are being explored to optimize OV efficacy.
  • Combination with immunotherapy holds significant potential for improving oncolytic virotherapy outcomes.
Keywords:
cancer therapycombination therapyimmunotherapyoncolyticoncolytic virusvirotherapy

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