Open AccessThe emergence of combinatorial strategies in the development of RNA oncolytic virus therapies
Author(s) -
Nguyen Thi LienAnh,
Tumilasci Vanessa Fonseca,
Singhroy Diane,
Arguello Meztli,
Hiscott John
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
cellular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.542
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1462-5822
pISSN - 1462-5814
DOI - 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2009.01317.x
Subject(s) - oncolytic virus , virotherapy , biology , virus , cancer therapy , virology , rna , cancer , cancer research , computational biology , gene , biochemistry , genetics
Summary Oncolytic viruses (OVs) represent an exciting new biological approach to cancer therapy. In particular, RNA viruses have emerged as potent agents for oncolytic virotherapy because of their capacity to specifically target and destroy tumour cells while sparing normal cells and tissues. Several barriers remain in the development of OV therapy, including poor penetration into the tumour mass, inefficient virus replication in primary cancers, and tumour‐specific resistance to OV‐mediated killing. The combination of OVs with cytotoxic agents, such as small molecule inhibitors of signalling or immunomodulators, as well as stealth delivery of therapeutic viruses have shown promise as novel experimental strategies to overcome resistance to viral oncolysis. These agents complement OV therapy by unblocking host pathways, delivering viruses with greater efficiency and/or increasing virus proliferation at the tumour site. In this review, we summarize recent development of these concepts, the potential obstacles, and future prospects for the clinical utilization of RNA OVs in cancer therapy.