Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Growth, Purification, and Titration of Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus
Published on: May 13, 2021
Cytokine-armed oncolytic herpes simplex viruses: a game-changer in cancer immunotherapy?
Hongbin Wang1,2, Mia Borlongan2, Howard L Kaufman3,4
1Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, California Northstate University College of Pharmacy, Elk Grove, California, USA.
Abstract:
Cytokines are small proteins that regulate the growth and functional activity of immune cells, and several have been approved for cancer therapy. Oncolytic viruses are agents that mediate antitumor activity by directly killing tumor cells and inducing immune responses. Talimogene laherparepvec is an oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (oHSV), approved for the treatment of recurrent melanoma, and the virus encodes the human cytokine, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). A significant advantage of oncolytic viruses is the ability to deliver therapeutic payloads to the tumor site that can help drive antitumor immunity. While cytokines are especially interesting as payloads, the optimal cytokine(s) used in oncolytic viruses remains controversial. In this review, we highlight preliminary data with several cytokines and chemokines, including GM-CSF, interleukin 12, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 2, interleukin 15, interleukin 18, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 4, or their combinations, and show how these payloads can further enhance the antitumor immunity of oHSV. A better understanding of cytokine delivery by oHSV can help improve clinical benefit from oncolytic virus immunotherapy in patients with cancer.
Insights
Oncolytic viruses, like talimogene laherparepvec, can deliver cytokine payloads to enhance anti-tumor immunity. This review explores various cytokines to optimize oncolytic virus immunotherapy for cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Oncology
Background:
- Cytokines are crucial for immune cell regulation and several are approved cancer therapies.
- Oncolytic viruses directly kill tumor cells and stimulate immune responses against cancer.
- Talimogene laherparepvec, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (oHSV), encodes granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and is approved for melanoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of cytokine and chemokine payloads in enhancing oncolytic virus (oHSV) antitumor immunity.
- To discuss preliminary data on various cytokines and chemokines as payloads for oHSV.
- To explore how optimal cytokine selection can improve clinical outcomes in oncolytic virus immunotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Review of preliminary data on cytokine and chemokine payloads in oHSV.
- Analysis of the impact of different cytokines (e.g., GM-CSF, IL-12, IL-15) on antitumor immunity.
- Examination of cytokine combinations for enhanced therapeutic effects.
Main Results:
- Oncolytic viruses can effectively deliver therapeutic cytokine payloads to tumor sites.
- Various cytokines and chemokines, including GM-CSF, IL-12, and IL-15, show potential to enhance oHSV-mediated antitumor immunity.
- Combinations of cytokines may offer synergistic benefits in driving immune responses.
Conclusions:
- Cytokine delivery by oHSV is a promising strategy to augment antitumor immunity.
- Further understanding of optimal cytokine payloads is essential for improving oncolytic virus immunotherapy.
- Enhanced cytokine payloads can lead to improved clinical benefits for cancer patients treated with oHSV.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Tumor Immunotherapy
01:30Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
01:51Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...