Current Cancer Drug Targets - Volume 7, Issue 2, 2007

At first, Dr. J. C. Bell states in this issue what we should now do for the next steps and the directions for the oncolytic virus therapy of the future. He emphasizes the importance of embracing the technology accumulated so far, and of using our understanding of the molecular biology of cancer and viruses for further breakthroughs. In the new era of oncolytic virus therapy, the environment is changing from early basic research Read More

We are very pleased and proud to be able to publish this special issue of Current Cancer Drug Targets devoted to oncolytic virus therapy covering basic and clinical research on adenovirus, vaccinia virus, herpes virus, and Newcastle disease virus. In these papers, we welcome the world's top authorities in the field who have generously contributed their latest review articles for exclusive publication in this special issue. Moreove Read More

Cancer is a complex disease that often eludes successful treatment due to its propensity to evolve or adapt in the face of current therapeutic regimes. It is reasonable to suggest that sophisticated therapeutics that can attack cancers in multiple, but targeted ways, will be necessary in order to improve current success rates. It is the thesis of this article that Oncolytic Viruses (OVs), are a new generation of “smart therap Read More

The current field of oncolytic virus development has evolved from, and been educated by, the route adenoviruses have taken to Phase III development in the United States (Onyx-015) and commercial approval in China (H101). Clinical development of these E1B-deleted viruses showed that a staged approach, from single-agent intratumoral injections to trials testing intravenous delivery and trials in combination with app Read More

Since the 1990s, oncolytic viruses were utilized to treat cancer patients from phase I to phase III. Oncolytic virus development in China has been keeping in step with that in other countries and even accelerated the process in some fields, especially in conducting clinical trials. H101 is one kind of oncolytic adenovirus with E1B-55KD and partial E3 deleted developed by Shanghai Sunwaybio. From 2000-2004, phase I to phase III cl Read More

The use of oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Accumulating evidence indicates that, aside from the extent of replication capability within the tumor, the efficacy of an oncolytic HSV-1 depends on the extent of induction of host antitumor immune responses. Ways to modify the host immune responses toward viral oncolysis include expression of immunostimulatory molecul Read More

PV701 is a naturally-attenuated, non-recombinant, oncolytic strain of Newcastle disease virus that displays preclinical intravenous (IV) efficacy. PV701 is selective at killing human cancer cells versus normal human cells based on tumor specific defects in the interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral response. This oncolytic virus displays a broad spectrum of antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Preclinical models successfully Read More

We reviewed our clinical trial using mutant herpes simplex virus “HF10”. We have evaluated the safety and effect of HF10 against recurrent breast cancer since 2003 and also applied HF10 to non-resectable pancreatic cancer since 2005. An oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1, mutant HF10, has been isolated and evaluated for anti-tumor efficacy in syngeneic immunocompetent mouse models. From long time before clinical t Read More

Viral oncolysis, the destruction of cancer cells by replicating viruses, is a new modality of cancer therapy. This strategy involves use of viruses that are either genetically engineered to replicate preferentially in neoplastic cells, or use of viruses that display innate tropism for neoplastic cells. These viruses may also be modified to deliver transgenes to destroy cancer cells. While numerous viruses may be used for this form of Read More

Oncolytic viruses can selectively replicate in and lead to tumor cell lysis with minimal infection/replication potential in adjoining non-neoplastic tissue. Because of paramount safety concerns, first-generation oncolytic viruses were designed to be significantly attenuated in their lytic potential. Results from recent clinical trials have revealed the safety of this approach, but have underscored the urgency for design and testing of Read More

Replication-selective tumor-specific viruses present a novel approach for treatment of neoplastic disease. These vectors are designed to induce virus-mediated lysis of tumor cells after selective viral propagation within the tumor. For targeting cancer cells, there is a need for tissue- or cell-specific promoters that can express in diverse tumor types and are silent in normal cells. Recent advances in molecular biology have fos Read More

Many types of oncolytic viruses, wild-type virus, attenuated viruses and genetically-modified viruses, have been developed as an innovative cancer therapy. The strategies, nature, and technologies of oncolytic virus products are different from the conventional gene therapy products or cancer therapy products. From the regulatory aspects to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of oncolytic viruses, there are several major poi Read More