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Oncolytic viruses: what to expect from their use in cancer treatment
Author(s) -
Terrível Maria,
Gromicho Catarina,
Matos Ana Miguel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/1348-0421.12753
Subject(s) - oncolytic virus , virotherapy , cancer , biology , cancer therapy , cancer treatment , clinical trial , immune system , cancer research , immunology , bioinformatics , genetics
Oncolytic viruses are biologic agents able to selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while sparing the normal ones. Furthermore, they also stimulate the host immune system to combat the tumor growth and to promote tumor removal. This review thoroughly describes different types of viruses developed for targeting specific cancers, as well as the strategies to improve the efficacy and safety of oncolytic virotherapy. It also explores how their potential as anticancer agents may be enhanced through combination with other traditional therapies, such as chemotherapy or more recent approaches, such as checkpoint inhibitors. There are many oncolytic viruses currently being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of various types of cancer, suggesting that this approach could become the near future of the oncology field.