Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Based Oncolytic Virotherapy: Recent Progress and Emerging Trends

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• Oncolytic virotherapy utilizes viruses to selectively target and destroy cancer cells, stimulating anti-tumor immunity.
• Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a well-established oncolytic virus platform due to its rapid replication, cell lysis capabilities, and genetic manipulability.
• VSV exhibits a lack of pre-existing immunity in humans, making it a suitable candidate for therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive update on advancements in VSV-based oncolytic virotherapy since the last review.
• To highlight improvements in safety, oncoselectivity, tumor-specific replication, direct oncolysis, and induction of antitumor immunity.
• To explore emerging rhabdoviruses (Maraba, Morreton, and Jurona) as potential oncolytic platforms.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent developments in VSV-based oncolytic virotherapy.
• Analysis of preclinical and clinical investigations of VSV and related rhabdoviruses.
• Integration of applied discoveries with foundational knowledge.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in enhancing the safety and efficacy of VSV as an oncolytic virus.
• Improvements in oncoselectivity and tumor-specific replication have been achieved.
• Enhanced induction of antitumor immune responses by VSV has been observed.

Conclusions:

• VSV-based oncolytic virotherapy is advancing towards broader clinical translation.
• Further research integrating recent discoveries with existing knowledge will improve patient outcomes.
• Related rhabdoviruses present promising alternative platforms for oncolytic virotherapy.