Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo
Published on: January 7, 2019
Comparative analyses for plant virus-based cancer immunotherapy drug development
Anthony O Omole1,2,3,4, Hannah S Newton5, Edward Cedrone5
1Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.
Abstract:
Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) is a plant virus with potent anti-tumor efficacy. Intratumoral CPMV, but not cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), reprograms the tumor microenvironment priming durable, systemic anti-tumor immunity. Here, we performed a side-by-side mechanism of action comparison between CPMV and CCMV. Through immune-multiplexing and trafficking studies we observed that CPMV and CCMV are taken up by innate immune cells at similar rates but are processed differently. While CCMV induces proinflammatory interleukins 22, 23, and 27, CPMV is a strong inducer of type I, II, and III interferons, which contribute to the activation and enhancement of immune cell function. We observed that CPMV RNAs activate Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 upon delivery-and not CCMV RNAs; CPMV RNAs persist longer within cells compared with CCMV. Taken together, this work identifies determinants for CPMV's unique mechanism for intratumoral immunotherapy. It also broadens our understanding of the utility of plant viruses for biomedical applications.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer 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...
Tumor Immunotherapy
Cancer 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...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers

