Replicating viral vectors for cancer therapy: strategies to synergize with host immune responses.

Abstract

Tumour-specific replicating (oncolytic) viruses are novel anticancer agents, currently under intense investigation in preclinical studies and phase I-III clinical trials. Until recently, most studies have focused on the direct antitumour properties of these viruses. There is now an increasing body of evidence indicating that host immune responses may be critical to the efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy. Although the immune response to oncolytic viruses can rapidly restrict viral replication, thereby limiting the efficacy of therapy, oncolytic virotherapy also has the potential to induce potent antitumoural immune effectors that destroy those cancer cells, which are not directly lysed by virus. In this review, we discuss the role of the immune system in terms of antiviral and antitumoural responses, as well as strategies to evade or promote these responses in favour of improved therapeutic potentials.

• Authors: Jennifer Altomonte, Oliver Ebert
• Journal: Microbial biotechnology (Microb Biotechnol) Vol. 5 Issue 2 Pg. 251-9 (Mar 2012) ISSN: 1751-7915 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21923638 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: © 2011 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Topics

• Biological Therapy (methods)
• Genetic Vectors
• Neoplasms (immunology, therapy)
• Oncolytic Viruses (genetics, immunology, physiology)
• Virus Replication