wild-type oncolytic adenovirus

Wild-type oncolytic adenovirus refers to a naturally occurring or minimally modified adenovirus (typically Serotype 5) that possesses innate oncolytic properties. Unlike engineered oncolytic viruses that are modified for tumor selectivity (e.g., through promoter control or gene deletions), the wild-type virus is universally replicative in permissive cells. In cancer research, it is frequently used as a positive control to benchmark the lytic efficiency and replication kinetics of novel, tumor-selective oncolytic vectors. It functions by infecting cells, replicating its genome, and inducing cell lysis, thereby releasing progeny virions to infect adjacent cells. Studies, such as those conducted at the University of Minnesota, have evaluated its interaction with chemotherapeutic agents like 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in pancreatic and esophageal cancer models.

Other names

wild-type adenovirusWT-Aduniversally replicative adenovirus