How Oncolytic Virus Therapy is Changing Cancer Treatment

How Oncolytic Virus Therapy is Changing Cancer Treatment

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

• Oncolytic viruses are a form of immunotherapy that uses viruses to infect and destroy cancer cells.
• Cancer due to infection by virus
  • Infection by certain viruses has been implicated in the development of certain cancers, such as the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in liver cancer and the human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical cancer and head and neck cancer.
• Oncolytic Virus Therapy Treatment Options
  • There is currently one oncolytic virus therapy approved by the FDA for the treatment of cancer:
  • T-VEC (Imlygic): a modified herpes simplex virus (HSV) that infects tumor cells and promotes their destruction; approved for subsets of patients with melanoma
• Common side effects associated with the currently approved oncolytic virus may include but are not limited to: chills, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, injection site pain, nausea, and fever.
• Oncolytic virus platforms under evaluation in clinical trials include:
  • Adenovirus: a family of common viruses that can cause a wide range of typically mild effects including sore throat, fatigue, and cold-like symptoms
  • Herpes simplex virus: a virus that can cause the formation of sores on or near the mouth
  • Maraba virus: a virus found exclusively in insects
  • Measles: a highly contagious virus that infects the respiratory tract and can cause measles
  • Newcastle Disease Virus: a virus primarily found in birds; can cause mild conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms in humans
  • Picornavirus: a family of viruses that can cause a range of diseases in mammals and birds; the coxsackie virus is an example from this family that is being clinically tested
  • Reovirus: a family of viruses that can affect the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts in a range of animal species
  • Vaccinia virus: the virus that was used to help vaccinate against and eliminate smallpox; rarely causes illness in humans and is associated with a rash covering the body
  • Vesicular stomatitis virus: a virus that belongs to the same family as the Maraba virus; can cause flu-like symptoms in humans