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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
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Investigating the potential of oncolytic viruses for cancer treatment via MSC delivery

Hadi Esmaeili Gouvarchin Ghaleh1, Gazal Vakilzadeh1, Ali Zahiri2

  • 1Applied Virology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Cell Communication and Signaling : CCS
|September 4, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) deliver oncolytic viruses (OVs) to tumors, enhancing cancer treatment. This combination therapy targets cancer cells, stimulates immune responses, and offers a novel therapeutic strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit tumor-homing properties, enabling targeted delivery of therapeutic agents.
  • Oncolytic viruses (OVs) selectively infect and lyse cancer cells, offering a promising cancer treatment modality.
  • The combination of MSCs and OVs presents a novel strategy for cancer therapy.

Discussion:

  • MSCs can be engineered to carry and release OVs, concentrating the therapeutic effect within the tumor microenvironment.
  • MSC-delivered OVs can induce immunogenic cell death, potentially enhancing anti-tumor immune responses.
  • This approach aims to overcome challenges associated with systemic OV delivery and improve treatment efficacy.

Key Insights:

  • MSC-OV conjugates demonstrate enhanced tumor targeting and oncolysis compared to OVs alone.
  • The combined therapy can modulate the tumor microenvironment, promoting a favorable anti-cancer immune response.
  • MSC-released OVs represent a promising platform for treating both primary and metastatic cancers.

Outlook:

  • Further research is needed to optimize MSC engineering for efficient OV loading and sustained release.
  • Clinical translation requires rigorous evaluation of safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of MSC-OV therapies.
  • This approach holds potential for combination with other cancer immunotherapies to achieve synergistic effects.
Keywords:
ImmunotherapyMesenchymal stem cellsOncolytic virusesTumor microenvironment

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