CA-OV-VSV

CA-OV-VSV is an oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) variant specifically engineered and optimized for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Developed by researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), the virus was generated through a process of directed evolution involving the serial passage of the parental VSV-Delta-M51 strain in human ovarian cancer cell lines. This adaptation resulted in a virus with significantly enhanced replication kinetics and oncolytic potency specifically within ovarian carcinoma cells compared to the original strain. CA-OV-VSV retains the Delta-M51 mutation in its matrix (M) protein, which prevents the virus from suppressing the host cell's interferon (IFN) response. This mutation ensures tumor selectivity by exploiting the defective IFN signaling pathways common in cancer cells, allowing the virus to replicate and induce lysis in malignant tissues while being rapidly cleared by the intact antiviral defenses of healthy cells. The therapeutic approach aims to achieve direct tumor debulking and the stimulation of a systemic anti-tumor immune response.

Other names

Cancer-Adapted Ovarian Vesicular Stomatitis VirusCancer-Adapted VSV