vesicular stomatitis oncolytic virus

Vesicular stomatitis oncolytic virus (VSV) is a genetically engineered or naturally occurring strain of the Vesiculovirus genus used as an experimental cancer therapy. As an oncolytic virus, VSV selectively infects and destroys malignant cells while sparing most normal tissues. Its mechanism relies both on direct cytolysis of tumor cells—especially those with defective interferon signaling—and the induction of potent antitumor immune responses through immunogenic cell death and presentation of tumor-associated antigens. The viral genome can be modified to enhance selectivity for cancer cells or to express immune-stimulatory genes such as interferon-β (IFN-β), further boosting its therapeutic potential[1][4][6]. VSV has demonstrated preclinical efficacy against a wide range of cancers including osteosarcoma, cervical cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pancreatic cancer, and glioblastoma[4]. Clinical development includes phase 1 trials in HCC using recombinant forms expressing IFN-β[6][7]. No FDA-approved therapies based on VSV exist as of June 2025; research continues into optimizing delivery methods and combination regimens with checkpoint inhibitors.

Other names

vesicular stomatitis virusVSVrecombinant vesicular stomatitis virusrVSV