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Rojas JJ, Van Hoecke L, Conesa M, Bueno-Merino C, Del Canizo A, Riederer S, Barcia M, Brosinski K, Lehmann MH, Volz A, Saelens X, Sutter G. A new MVA ancestor-derived oncolytic vaccinia virus induces immunogenic tumor cell death and robust antitumor immune responses. Mol Ther 2024; 32:2406-2422. [PMID: 38734899 PMCID: PMC11286824 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Vaccinia viruses (VACVs) are versatile therapeutic agents and different features of various VACV strains allow for a broad range of therapeutic applications. Modified VACV Ankara (MVA) is a particularly altered VACV strain that is highly immunogenic, incapable of replicating in mammalian hosts, and broadly used as a safe vector for vaccination. Alternatively, Western Reserve (WR) or Copenhagen (Cop) are VACV strains that efficiently replicate in cancer cells and, therefore, are used to develop oncolytic viruses. However, the immune evasion capacity of WR or Cop hinders their ability to elicit antitumor immune responses, which is crucial for efficacy in the clinic. Here, we describe a new VACV strain named Immune-Oncolytic VACV Ankara (IOVA), which combines efficient replication in cancer cells with induction of immunogenic tumor cell death (ICD). IOVA was engineered from an MVA ancestor and shows superior cytotoxicity in tumor cells. In addition, the IOVA genome incorporates mutations that lead to massive fusogenesis of tumor cells, which contributes to improved antitumor effects. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, the induction of ICD results in robust antitumor immunity directed against tumor neo-epitopes and eradication of large established tumors. These data present IOVA as an improved immunotherapeutic oncolytic vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Rojas
- Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona - UB, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Immunity, Inflammation, and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Division of Virology, Institute for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, 85764 Oberschleiβheim, Germany.
| | - Lien Van Hoecke
- VIB Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, 9052 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Miquel Conesa
- Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona - UB, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Immunity, Inflammation, and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Carmen Bueno-Merino
- Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona - UB, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Immunity, Inflammation, and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Ana Del Canizo
- Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona - UB, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Immunity, Inflammation, and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Stephanie Riederer
- Division of Virology, Institute for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, 85764 Oberschleiβheim, Germany
| | - Maria Barcia
- Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapies, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona - UB, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Immunity, Inflammation, and Cancer Group, Oncobell Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Katrin Brosinski
- Division of Virology, Institute for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, 85764 Oberschleiβheim, Germany
| | - Michael H Lehmann
- Division of Virology, Institute for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, 85764 Oberschleiβheim, Germany
| | - Asisa Volz
- Division of Virology, Institute for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, 85764 Oberschleiβheim, Germany; Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Xavier Saelens
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, 9052 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gerd Sutter
- Division of Virology, Institute for Infection Medicine and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, 85764 Oberschleiβheim, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany
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Azad T, Rezaei R, Singaravelu R, Pelin A, Boulton S, Petryk J, Onsu KA, Martin NT, Hoskin V, Ghahremani M, Marotel M, Marius R, He X, Crupi MJF, Hoang HD, Nik-Akhtar A, Ahmadi M, Zamani NK, Golshani A, Alain T, Greer P, Ardolino M, Dickinson BC, Tai LH, Ilkow CS, Bell JC. Synthetic virology approaches to improve the safety and efficacy of oncolytic virus therapies. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3035. [PMID: 37236967 PMCID: PMC10213590 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38651-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The large coding potential of vaccinia virus (VV) vectors is a defining feature. However, limited regulatory switches are available to control viral replication as well as timing and dosing of transgene expression in order to facilitate safe and efficacious payload delivery. Herein, we adapt drug-controlled gene switches to enable control of virally encoded transgene expression, including systems controlled by the FDA-approved rapamycin and doxycycline. Using ribosome profiling to characterize viral promoter strength, we rationally design fusions of the operator element of different drug-inducible systems with VV promoters to produce synthetic promoters yielding robust inducible expression with undetectable baseline levels. We also generate chimeric synthetic promoters facilitating additional regulatory layers for VV-encoded synthetic transgene networks. The switches are applied to enable inducible expression of fusogenic proteins, dose-controlled delivery of toxic cytokines, and chemical regulation of VV replication. This toolbox enables the precise modulation of transgene circuitry in VV-vectored oncolytic virus design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taha Azad
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1E 4K8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Reza Rezaei
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Adrian Pelin
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, CA 94158, USA
| | - Stephen Boulton
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Julia Petryk
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | | | | | - Victoria Hoskin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Mina Ghahremani
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Marie Marotel
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H, Canada
| | - Ricardo Marius
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Xiaohong He
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Mathieu J F Crupi
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Huy-Dung Hoang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Abolfazl Nik-Akhtar
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Mahsa Ahmadi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nika Kooshki Zamani
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ashkan Golshani
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Tommy Alain
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Peter Greer
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H, Canada
| | - Bryan C Dickinson
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lee-Hwa Tai
- Centre de Recherche du CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
- Department of Immunology & Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1E 4K8, Canada
| | - Carolina S Ilkow
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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Concepts in Oncolytic Adenovirus Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910522. [PMID: 34638863 PMCID: PMC8508870 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic adenovirus therapy is gaining importance as a novel treatment option for the management of various cancers. Different concepts of modification within the adenovirus vector have been identified that define the mode of action against and the interaction with the tumour. Adenoviral vectors allow for genetic manipulations that restrict tumour specificity and also the expression of specific transgenes in order to support the anti-tumour effect. Additionally, replication of the virus and reinfection of neighbouring tumour cells amplify the therapeutic effect. Another important aspect in oncolytic adenovirus therapy is the virus induced cell death which is a process that activates the immune system against the tumour. This review describes which elements in adenovirus vectors have been identified for modification not only to utilize oncolytic adenovirus vectors into conditionally replicating adenoviruses (CRAds) that allow replication specifically in tumour cells but also to confer specific characteristics to these viruses. These advances in development resulted in clinical trials that are summarized based on the conceptual design.
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Clarkin RG, Del Papa J, Poulin KL, Parks RJ. The genome position of a therapeutic transgene strongly influences the level of expression in an armed oncolytic human adenovirus vector. Virology 2021; 561:87-97. [PMID: 34171766 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Efficacy of oncolytic, conditionally-replicating adenovirus (CRAd) vectors can be enhanced by "arming" the vector with therapeutic transgenes. We examined whether inclusion of an intact early region 3 (E3) and the reptilian reovirus fusogenic p14 fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) protein enhanced vector efficacy. The p14 FAST transgene was cloned between the fiber gene and E4 region, with an upstream splice acceptor for replication-dependent expression from the major late promoter. In A549 cells, this vector expressed p14 FAST protein at very low levels, and showed a poor ability to mediate cell-cell fusion, relative to a similar vector encoding p14 FAST within the E3 deletion. Although expression of E3 proteins from the CRAd increased plaque size, poor expression of p14 FAST protein compromised the fusogenic capacity of the vector. Thus, location of a therapeutic transgene within a CRAd can significantly impact expression of the transgene and is an important consideration in vector design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan G Clarkin
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Joshua Del Papa
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Kathy L Poulin
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Robin J Parks
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada; Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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5
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Del Papa J, Clarkin RG, Parks RJ. Use of cell fusion proteins to enhance adenoviral vector efficacy as an anti-cancer therapeutic. Cancer Gene Ther 2020; 28:745-756. [DOI: 10.1038/s41417-020-0192-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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6
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Abstract
Oncolytic virotherapy uses replication-competent virus as a means of treating cancer. Whereas this field has shown great promise as a viable treatment method, the limited spread of these viruses throughout the tumor microenvironment remains a major challenge. To overcome this issue, researchers have begun looking at syncytia formation as a novel method of increasing viral spread. Several naturally occurring fusogenic viruses have been shown to possess strong oncolytic potential and have since been studied to gain insight into how this process benefits oncolytic virotherapy. Whereas these naturally fusogenic viruses have been beneficial, there are still challenges associated with their regular use. Because of this, engineered/recombinant fusogenic viruses have also been created that enhance nonfusogenic oncolytic viruses with the beneficial property of syncytia formation. The purpose of this review is to examine the existing body of literature on syncytia formation in oncolytics and offer direction for potential future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase Burton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Eric Bartee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
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7
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Del Papa J, Petryk J, Bell JC, Parks RJ. An Oncolytic Adenovirus Vector Expressing p14 FAST Protein Induces Widespread Syncytium Formation and Reduces Tumor Growth Rate In Vivo. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2019; 14:107-120. [PMID: 31193718 PMCID: PMC6539411 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Intratumoral injection of oncolytic viruses provides a direct means of tumor cell destruction for inoperable tumors. Unfortunately, oncolytic vectors based on human adenovirus (HAdV) typically do not spread efficiently throughout the tumor mass, reducing the efficacy of treatment. In this study, we explore the efficacy of a conditionally replicating HAdV vector expressing the p14 Fusion-Associated Small Transmembrane (FAST) protein (CRAdFAST) in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse models of cancer. The p14 FAST protein mediates cell-cell fusion, which may enhance spread of the virus-mediated, tumor cell-killing effect. In the murine 4T1 model of cancer, treatment with CRAdFAST resulted in enhanced cell death compared to vector lacking the p14 FAST gene, but it did not reduce the tumor growth rate in vivo. In the human A549 lung adenocarcinoma model of cancer, CRAdFAST showed significantly improved oncolytic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. In an A549 xenograft tumor model in vivo, CRAdFAST induced tumor cell fusion, which led to the formation of large acellular regions within the tumor and significantly reduced the tumor growth rate compared to control vector. Our results indicate that expression of p14 FAST from an oncolytic HAdV can improve vector efficacy for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Del Papa
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Julia Petryk
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.,Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Robin J Parks
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.,Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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8
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Martinez-Quintanilla J, Seah I, Chua M, Shah K. Oncolytic viruses: overcoming translational challenges. J Clin Invest 2019; 129:1407-1418. [PMID: 30829653 DOI: 10.1172/jci122287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic virotherapy (OVT) is a promising approach in which WT or engineered viruses selectively replicate and destroy tumor cells while sparing normal ones. In the last two decades, different oncolytic viruses (OVs) have been modified and tested in a number of preclinical studies, some of which have led to clinical trials in cancer patients. These clinical trials have revealed several critical limitations with regard to viral delivery, spread, resistance, and antiviral immunity. Here, we focus on promising research strategies that have been developed to overcome the aforementioned obstacles. Such strategies include engineering OVs to target a broad spectrum of tumor cells while evading the immune system, developing unique delivery mechanisms, combining other immunotherapeutic agents with OVT, and using clinically translatable mouse tumor models to potentially translate OVT more readily into clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivan Seah
- Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging and
| | - Melissa Chua
- Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging and.,Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Khalid Shah
- Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging and.,Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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9
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Fusogenic Viruses in Oncolytic Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:cancers10070216. [PMID: 29949934 PMCID: PMC6070779 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10070216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses are under intense development and have earned their place among the novel class of cancer immunotherapeutics that are changing the face of cancer therapy. Their ability to specifically infect and efficiently kill tumor cells, while breaking immune tolerance and mediating immune responses directed against the tumor, make oncolytic viruses highly attractive candidates for immunotherapy. Increasing evidence indicates that a subclass of oncolytic viruses, which encodes for fusion proteins, could outperform non-fusogenic viruses, both in their direct oncolytic potential, as well as their immune-stimulatory properties. Tumor cell infection with these viruses leads to characteristic syncytia formation and cell death due to fusion, as infected cells become fused with neighboring cells, which promotes intratumoral spread of the infection and releases additional immunogenic signals. In this review, we discuss the potential of fusogenic oncolytic viruses as optimal candidates to enhance immunotherapy and initiate broad antitumor responses. We provide an overview of the cytopathic mechanism of syncytia formation through viral-mediated expression of fusion proteins, either endogenous or engineered, and their benefits for cancer therapy. Growing evidence indicates that fusogenicity could be an important feature to consider in the design of optimal oncolytic virus platforms for combinatorial oncolytic immunotherapy.
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10
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Adenoviral Vectors Armed with Cell Fusion-Inducing Proteins as Anti-Cancer Agents. Viruses 2017; 9:v9010013. [PMID: 28106842 PMCID: PMC5294982 DOI: 10.3390/v9010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a devastating disease that affects millions of patients every year, and causes an enormous economic burden on the health care system and emotional burden on affected families. The first line of defense against solid tumors is usually extraction of the tumor, when possible, by surgical methods. In cases where solid tumors can not be safely removed, chemotherapy is often the first line of treatment. As metastatic cancers often become vigorously resistant to treatments, the development of novel, more potent and selective anti-cancer strategies is of great importance. Adenovirus (Ad) is the most commonly used virus in cancer clinical trials, however, regardless of the nature of the Ad-based therapeutic, complete responses to treatment remain rare. A number of pre-clinical studies have shown that, for all vector systems, viral spread throughout the tumor mass can be a major limiting factor for complete tumor elimination. By expressing exogenous cell-fusion proteins, many groups have shown improved spread of Ad-based vectors. This review summarizes the research done to examine the potency of Ad vectors expressing fusogenic proteins as anti-cancer therapeutics.
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11
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Coughlan L, Vallath S, Gros A, Giménez-Alejandre M, Van Rooijen N, Thomas GJ, Baker AH, Cascalló M, Alemany R, Hart IR. Combined Fiber Modifications Both to Target αvβ6and Detarget the Coxsackievirus–Adenovirus Receptor Improve Virus Toxicity ProfilesIn Vivobut Fail to Improve Antitumoral Efficacy Relative to Adenovirus Serotype 5. Hum Gene Ther 2012; 23:960-79. [DOI: 10.1089/hum.2011.218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lynda Coughlan
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Sabari Vallath
- Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom
| | - Alena Gros
- Translational Research Laboratory, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona 08907, Spain
| | - Marta Giménez-Alejandre
- Translational Research Laboratory, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona 08907, Spain
| | - N. Van Rooijen
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam 1007 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Gareth J. Thomas
- Cancer Sciences Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton S016 6YD, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew H. Baker
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Manel Cascalló
- Translational Research Laboratory, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona 08907, Spain
| | - Ramon Alemany
- Translational Research Laboratory, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona 08907, Spain
| | - Ian R. Hart
- Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom
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12
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GALV expression enhances the therapeutic efficacy of an oncolytic adenovirus by inducing cell fusion and enhancing virus distribution. Gene Ther 2011; 19:1048-57. [PMID: 22113313 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2011.184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The limitations of the current oncolytic adenoviruses for cancer therapy include insufficient potency and poor distribution of the virus throughout the tumor mass. To address these problems, we generated an oncolytic adenovirus expressing the hyperfusogenic form of the gibbon-ape leukemia virus (GALV) envelope glycoprotein under the control of the adenovirus major late promoter. The oncolytic properties of the new fusogenic adenovirus, ICOVIR16, were analyzed both in vitro and in vivo, and compared with that of its non-fusogenic counterpart, ICOVIR15. Our results indicate that GALV expression by ICOVIR16 induced extensive syncytia formation and enhanced tumor cell killing in a variety of tumor cell types. When injected intratumorally or intravenously into mice with large pre-established melanoma or pancreatic tumors, ICOVIR16 rapidly reduced tumor burden, and in some cases, resulted in complete eradication of the tumors. Importantly, GALV expression induced tumor cell fusion in vivo and enhanced the spreading of the virus throughout the tumor. Taken together, these results indicate that GALV expression can improve the antitumoral potency of an oncolytic adenovirus and suggest that ICOVIR16 is a promising candidate for clinical evaluation in patients with cancer.
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Durupt F, Koppers-Lalic D, Balme B, Budel L, Terrier O, Lina B, Thomas L, Hoeben RC, Rosa-Calatrava M. The chicken chorioallantoic membrane tumor assay as model for qualitative testing of oncolytic adenoviruses. Cancer Gene Ther 2011; 19:58-68. [DOI: 10.1038/cgt.2011.68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Chen HH, Cawood R, El-Sherbini Y, Purdie L, Bazan-Peregrino M, Seymour LW, Carlisle RC. Active adenoviral vascular penetration by targeted formation of heterocellular endothelial-epithelial syncytia. Mol Ther 2010; 19:67-75. [PMID: 20877345 PMCID: PMC3017442 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2010.209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The endothelium imposes a structural barrier to the extravasation of systemically delivered oncolytic adenovirus (Ad). Here, we introduced a transendothelial route of delivery in order to increase tumor accumulation of virus particles (vp) beyond that resulting from convection-dependent extravasation alone. This was achieved by engineering an Ad encoding a syncytium-forming protein, gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) fusogenic membrane glycoprotein (FMG). The expression of GALV was regulated by a hybrid viral enhancer-human promoter construct comprising the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate-early enhancer and the minimal human endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase promoter (“eTie1”). Endothelial cell-selectivity of the resulting Ad-eTie1-GALV vector was demonstrated by measuring GALV mRNA transcript levels. Furthermore, Ad-eTie1-GALV selectively induced fusion between infected endothelial cells and uninfected epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo, allowing transendothelial virus penetration. Heterofusion of infected endothelium to human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells, in mixed in vitro cultures or in murine xenograft models, permitted fusion-dependent transactivation of the replication-deficient Ad-eTie1-GALV, due to enabled access to viral E1 proteins derived from the HEK 293 cytoplasm. These data provide evidence to support our proposed use of GALV to promote Ad penetration through tumor-associated vasculature, an approach that may substantially improve the efficiency of systemic delivery of oncolytic viruses to disseminated tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah H Chen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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15
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Minimal RB-responsive E1A promoter modification to attain potency, selectivity, and transgene-arming capacity in oncolytic adenoviruses. Mol Ther 2010; 18:1960-71. [PMID: 20808288 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2010.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic adenoviruses are promising anticancer agents due to their ability to self-amplify at the tumor mass. However, tumor stroma imposes barriers difficult to overcome by these agents. Transgene expression is a valuable strategy to counteract these limitations and to enhance antitumor activity. For this purpose, the genetic backbone in which the transgene is inserted should be optimized to render transgene expression compatible with the adenovirus replication cycle and to keep genome size within the encapsidation size limit. In order to design a potent and selective oncolytic adenovirus that keeps intact all the viral functions with minimal increase in genome size, we inserted palindromic E2F-binding sites into the endogenous E1A promoter. The insertion of these sites controlling E1A-Δ24 results in a low systemic toxicity profile in mice. Importantly, the E2F-binding sites also increased the cytotoxicity and the systemic antitumor activity relative to wild-type adenovirus in all cancer models tested. The low toxicity and the increased potency results in improved antitumor efficacy after systemic injection and increased survival of mice carrying tumors. Furthermore, the constrained genome size of this backbone allows an efficient and potent expression of transgenes, indicating that this virus holds promise for overcoming the limitations of oncolytic adenoviral therapy.
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van Zeeburg HJT, Huizenga A, Brink A, van den Doel PB, Zhu ZB, McCormick F, Brakenhoff RH, van Beusechem VW. Comparison of oncolytic adenoviruses for selective eradication of oral cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. Gene Ther 2010; 17:1517-24. [PMID: 20686507 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2010.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Oncolytic adenoviruses are being investigated as potential anti-cancer agents. Selective lytic replication in cancer cells is essential for an effective and safe treatment. In this study, we compared 11 oncolytic adenoviruses in relevant cell cultures to assess their use for treating oral cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. We determined the cytotoxicity of oncolytic adenovirus infection and calculated selectivity indices for cytotoxicity to cancer cells compared with normal oral keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Keratinocytes were very sensitive to wild-type adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5); 1- to 3-log more than head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. The potencies of oncolytic adenoviruses to kill HNSCC cells within 7 days after infection ranged from approximately 10 times less potent to approximately 10 times more potent than Ad5. The selectivity indices determined on fibroblasts and keratinocytes differed markedly. Two oncolytic adenoviruses were more selective than Ad5 for HNSCC cells compared with fibroblasts; and five viruses showed selective replication on HNSCC cells compared with keratinocytes. Overall, CRAd-S.RGD with E1A driven by the survivin promoter and an infectivity-enhancing capsid modification showed the most favourable cytotoxicity pattern; being very potent in killing HNSCC cells, only slightly less effective than Ad5 in killing pre-neoplastic keratinocytes and the least toxic to normal keratinocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- H J T van Zeeburg
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head-Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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17
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Gros A, Puig C, Guedan S, Rojas JJ, Alemany R, Cascallo M. Verapamil enhances the antitumoral efficacy of oncolytic adenoviruses. Mol Ther 2010; 18:903-11. [PMID: 20179683 PMCID: PMC2890100 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2010.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2009] [Accepted: 01/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic potential of oncolytic adenoviruses is limited by the rate of adenovirus release. Based on the observation that several viruses induce cell death and progeny release by disrupting intracellular calcium homeostasis, we hypothesized that the alteration in intracellular calcium concentration induced by verapamil could improve the rate of virus release and spread, eventually enhancing the antitumoral activity of oncolytic adenoviruses. Our results indicate that verapamil substantially enhanced the release of adenovirus from a variety of cell types resulting in an improved cell-to-cell spread and cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the combination of the systemic administration of an oncolytic adenovirus (ICOVIR-5) with verapamil in vivo greatly improved its antitumoral activity in two different tumor xenograft models without affecting the selectivity of this virus. Overall, our findings indicate that verapamil provides a new, safe, and versatile way to improve the antitumoral potency of oncolytic adenoviruses in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Gros
- Translational Research Laboratory, IDIBELL-Institut Català d'Oncologia, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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18
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A modified E2F-1 promoter improves the efficacy to toxicity ratio of oncolytic adenoviruses. Gene Ther 2009; 16:1441-51. [DOI: 10.1038/gt.2009.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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