Potential for Improving Potency and Specificity of Reovirus Oncolysis with Next-Generation Reovirus Variants.

ABSTRACT: Viruses that specifically replicate in tumor over normal cells offer promising cancer therapies. Oncolytic viruses (OV) not only kill the tumor cells directly; they also promote anti-tumor immunotherapeutic responses. Other major advantages of OVs are that they dose-escalate in tumors and can be genetically engineered to enhance potency and specificity. Unmodified wild type reovirus is a propitious OV currently in phase I-III clinical trials. This review summarizes modifications to reovirus that may improve potency and/or specificity during oncolysis. Classical genetics approaches have revealed reovirus variants with improved adaptation towards tumors or with enhanced ability to establish specific steps of virus replication and cell killing among transformed cells. The recent emergence of

SUBMITTER: Mohamed A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4690860 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature