Oncolytic immunotherapy

Oncolytic immunotherapy is a therapeutic modality that utilizes native or genetically engineered viruses to selectively infect, replicate within, and destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue (NCI, 2023). The treatment functions through two primary mechanisms: direct oncolysis, where viral replication leads to the physical rupture of the malignant cell, and the induction of a systemic anti-tumor immune response (Kaufman et al., 2015). As tumor cells lyse, they release tumor-associated antigens and danger signals (DAMPs) that transform the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment into an immunostimulatory one, facilitating the recruitment and activation of T cells (Marelli et al., 2018). Various viral platforms, including Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Adenovirus, and Vaccinia virus, are often modified to enhance safety by deleting genes required for replication in normal cells or by adding therapeutic transgenes like GM-CSF to boost immune recruitment (Lichty et al., 2014). While not a single molecular target, this modality represents a complex biological approach to cancer treatment, exemplified by Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), the first FDA-approved oncolytic virus for melanoma (FDA, 2015).

Other names

Oncolytic virotherapyOncolytic virus therapyVirotherapyCancer virotherapy

Selective replication within tumor cells leading to direct cellular lysis (oncolysis) and the subsequent release of tumor-associated antigens, cytokines, and danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that stimulate a systemic anti-tumor immune response.