Oncolytic virotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Abstract

Within the past decade, many oncolytic viruses (OVs) have been studied as potential treatments for pancreatic cancer and some of these are currently under clinical trials. The applicability of certain OVs, such as adenoviruses, herpesviruses and reoviruses, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer has been intensively studied for several years, whereas the applicability of other more recently investigated OVs, such as poxviruses and parvoviruses, is only starting to be determined. At the same time, studies have identified key characteristics of pancreatic cancer biology that provide a better understanding of the important factors or pathways involved in this disease. This review aims to summarise the different replication-competent OVs proposed as therapeutics for pancreatic cancer. It also focuses on the unique biology of these viruses that makes them exciting candidate virotherapies for pancreatic cancer and discusses how they could be genetically manipulated or combined with other drugs to improve their efficacy based on what is currently known about the molecular biology of pancreatic cancer.

• Authors: Sonia Wennier, Shoudong Li, Grant McFadden
• Journal: Expert reviews in molecular medicine (Expert Rev Mol Med) Vol. 13 Pg. e18 (May 18 2011) ISSN: 1462-3994 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21676289 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• KRAS protein, human
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
• ras Proteins

Topics

• Combined Modality Therapy
• Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
• Humans
• Mutation
• Oncolytic Virotherapy
• Oncolytic Viruses (genetics, physiology)
• Pancreatic Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism, therapy, virology)
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins (genetics)
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
• Signal Transduction
• Tumor Microenvironment
• ras Proteins (genetics)