Systemic cellular viroimmunotherapy for canine high-grade gliomas.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Oncology
• Neuro-oncology
• Virotherapy

Background:

• Oncolytic viruses are promising for non-surgical tumor treatment, especially high-grade gliomas.
• Canine gliomas share similarities with human gliomas, enabling comparative treatment studies.
• Systemic oncolytic virus delivery faces challenges in targeting tumors and metastases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of dCelyvir virotherapy in spontaneous canine gliomas.
• To assess the potential translational applications of canine glioma treatment to human neuro-oncology.

Main Methods:

• Ten dogs with high-grade gliomas received weekly systemic endovenous dCelyvir for 8 weeks.
• Efficacy was assessed using Response Assessment in Veterinary Neuro-Oncology criteria (clinical status, MRI).
• Safety was monitored via physical exams, blood work, and immune cell analysis.

Main Results:

• dCelyvir was well-tolerated with no major adverse effects observed.
• Two dogs achieved partial responses (76-86% tumor reduction), and three showed stable disease.
• The virus (ICOCAV17) was detected in peripheral blood and some tumor tissues; immune responses were noted.

Conclusions:

• dCelyvir demonstrates safety and efficacy in treating canine high-grade gliomas.
• Results support ongoing human clinical trials for diffuse pontine glioma in young patients.
• Further exploration of dCelyvir in veterinary and human neuro-oncology is warranted.