Oncolytic virotherapy represents a promising alternative for
cancer treatment; however, viral delivery to the
tumor represents a major challenge. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) chemotax to
tumors, and can serve as a viral delivery tool. Previously, we demonstrated antitumor therapeutic efficacy for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) infected with the oncolytic human adenovirus ICOVIR5 (Celyvir) for treatment of
neuroblastoma patients. Given the lack of suitable immunocompetent preclinical models, the mechanism underlying Celyvir antitumor activity remains unknown. In this study, we used the syngeneic murine CMT64 cell line as a human adenovirus-semi-permissive
tumor model and demonstrate the homing capacity of mouse Celyvir (mCelyvir) to CMT64
tumors. We found that the combined treatment of mCelyvir and intratumoral
injections (i.t.) of ICOVIR5 was more effective than treatment with i.t. ICOVIR5 alone. Interestingly, the superior
therapeutic effect of the combined
therapy was associated with a higher
tumor infiltration of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Our findings suggest that the use of MSCs as carriers of oncolytic adenovirus can improve the clinical efficacy of anti-
cancer virotherapy, not only by driving the adenovirus to
tumors, but also through their potential to recruit T cells.