From Wikipedia:
‘Oncolytic virotherapy
Oncolytic virotherapy is not a new idea – as early as the mid 1950s doctors were noticing that cancer patients who suffered a non-related viral infection, or who had been vaccinated recently, showed signs of improvement;[1] this has been largely attributed to the production of interferon and tumour necrosis factors in response to viral infection, but oncolytic viruses are being designed that selectively target and lyse only cancerous cells.
In the 1940s and 1950s, studies were conducted in animal models to evaluate the use of viruses in the treatment of tumours.[2] In the 1940s-50s some of the earliest human clinical trials with oncolytic viruses were started.[3][4] However, for several years research in this field was delayed due to the inadequate technology available. Research has now started to proceed more quickly in finding ways to use viruses therapeutically.
As well as the direct anti-cancer effect, oncolytic viruses are also capable of inducing an anti-tumour immune response.‘
‘Viral immunotherapy
Viral immunotherapy uses viruses to introduce specific antigens to the patient’s immune system. Unlike traditional vaccines, in which attenuated or killed virus/bacteria is used to generate an immune response, viral immunotherapy uses genetically engineered viruses to present a specific antigen to the immune system. That antigen could be from any species of virus/bactera or even human disease antigens, for example cancer antigens.‘
Below is an update on current research in these two areas from “ASCO Immunotherapy Preview: These Cancer-Killing Viruses May Save Lives“:
‘Amgen: The biotech will present data from four studies of T-VEC, including one trial in which it is combining the virus with Yervoy in patients with late-stage melanoma. The study shows that two-thirds of the patients on the combination treatment were still alive after 18 months—a result that’s known in oncology circles as a “durable response.” The trial has not yet ended, so the median survival time is still to be determined.
Duke University: A team of scientists at Duke is in the early stages of testing a genetically modified form of polio virus in patients with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest tumor types. The research came to the world’s attention back in March, when the hit CBS CBS -0.48% newsmagazine 60 Minutes featured the virus’ creator, molecular biologist Matthias Gromeier, and three patients whose tumors disappeared after being injected with the virus. At ASCO, the Duke team will present data on 20 patients who have been treated with the virus. The research is still quite preliminary—the virus is in phase 1 trials—but according to the study abstract, 12 of the patients are still alive and two have made it more than 30 months beyond the treatment.
Genelux: This San Diego company is developing a cancer treatment, GL-ONC1, derived from vaccinia, the cowpox virus that’s the basis of the smallpox vaccine. Investigators from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center will present data from two early-stage trials—one in head and neck cancer and the other in malignant pleural effusion, a condition that causes fluid buildup in the chest. The company is reporting that in 18 patients with head and neck cancer, the drug was safe and indicated a potential overall survival benefit of 75%, though that figure was based on an estimate. Actual survival figures won’t be reported until the company completes later-stage trials.
Oncos Therapeutics: Finland-based Oncos has developed a modified strain of adenovirus, which it tested in 12 patients with various forms of solid tumors. In the study being presented at ASCO, the virus was injected directly into patients’ tumors, after which the presence of “immune markers”—signals that the immune system is, in fact, being activated—was measured. The company is reporting that all but one patient showed an increase in at least some immune markers.
PsiOxus: This biotech has one of the most unorthodox approaches to virotherapy. Instead of modifying an existing virus, the company created its own adenoviruses by infecting cancer cells with different strains of the virus, observing them as they evolved, isolating the strains that showed the most promise, and then arming them with further immune-boosting properties. The company is testing its lead creation, enadenotucirev, in ovarian and colorectal cancer, and at ASCO it will describe its approach to studying the virus in patients with a certain form of treatment-resistant ovarian cancer.
Virttu Biologics: Glasgow-based Virttu is testing oncolytic versions of herpes and adenovirus. At ASCO it will describe its efforts to create a “Trojan horse” system that would use engineered forms of both viruses in tandem to treat multiple myeloma.
Viralytics: Could the common cold cure cancer? That’s the question Viralytics has set out to answer with its specially formulated version of coxsackievirus, better known as the cold virus. At ASCO, the Aussie company will present data from a mid-stage trial in 57 patients with advanced melanoma. The company will report that 21 of the patients reached the primary endpoint of the trial—achieving immune-related progression-free survival at six months. Further clinical studies are underway, the company reports.‘
