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Volovat SR, Scripcariu DV, Vasilache IA, Stolniceanu CR, Volovat C, Augustin IG, Volovat CC, Ostafe MR, Andreea-Voichița SG, Bejusca-Vieriu T, Lungulescu CV, Sur D, Boboc D. Oncolytic Virotherapy: A New Paradigm in Cancer Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1180. [PMID: 38256250 PMCID: PMC10816814 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25021180] [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: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are emerging as potential treatment options for cancer. Natural and genetically engineered viruses exhibit various antitumor mechanisms. OVs act by direct cytolysis, the potentiation of the immune system through antigen release, and the activation of inflammatory responses or indirectly by interference with different types of elements in the tumor microenvironment, modification of energy metabolism in tumor cells, and antiangiogenic action. The action of OVs is pleiotropic, and they show varied interactions with the host and tumor cells. An important impediment in oncolytic virotherapy is the journey of the virus into the tumor cells and the possibility of its binding to different biological and nonbiological vectors. OVs have been demonstrated to eliminate cancer cells that are resistant to standard treatments in many clinical trials for various cancers (melanoma, lung, and hepatic); however, there are several elements of resistance to the action of viruses per se. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the combination of OVs with other standard treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and cellular therapies, to increase the response rate. This review provides a comprehensive update on OVs, their use in oncolytic virotherapy, and the future prospects of this therapy alongside the standard therapies currently used in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Ruxandra Volovat
- Department of Medical Oncology-Radiotherapy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania; (S.R.V.); (M.-R.O.); (S.-G.A.-V.); (T.B.-V.)
| | - Dragos Viorel Scripcariu
- Department of Surgery, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Ingrid Andrada Vasilache
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
| | - Cati Raluca Stolniceanu
- Department of Biophysics and Medical Physics—Nuclear Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Constantin Volovat
- Department of Medical Oncology-Radiotherapy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania; (S.R.V.); (M.-R.O.); (S.-G.A.-V.); (T.B.-V.)
| | | | | | - Madalina-Raluca Ostafe
- Department of Medical Oncology-Radiotherapy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania; (S.R.V.); (M.-R.O.); (S.-G.A.-V.); (T.B.-V.)
| | - Slevoacă-Grigore Andreea-Voichița
- Department of Medical Oncology-Radiotherapy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania; (S.R.V.); (M.-R.O.); (S.-G.A.-V.); (T.B.-V.)
| | - Toni Bejusca-Vieriu
- Department of Medical Oncology-Radiotherapy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania; (S.R.V.); (M.-R.O.); (S.-G.A.-V.); (T.B.-V.)
| | | | - Daniel Sur
- 11th Department of Medical Oncology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
| | - Diana Boboc
- Department of Medical Oncology-Radiotherapy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 University Str., 700115 Iasi, Romania; (S.R.V.); (M.-R.O.); (S.-G.A.-V.); (T.B.-V.)
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Seyed-Khorrami SM, Azadi A, Rastegarvand N, Habibian A, Soleimanjahi H, Łos MJ. A promising future in cancer immunotherapy: Oncolytic viruses. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 960:176063. [PMID: 37797673 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176063] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Alongside the conventional methods, attention has been drawn to the use of immunotherapy-based methods for cancer treatment. Immunotherapy has developed as a therapeutic option that can be more specific with better outcomes in tumor treatment. It can boost or regulate the immune system behind the targeted virotherapy. Virotherapy is a kind of oncolytic immunotherapy that investigated broadly in cancer treatment in recent decades, due to its several advantages. According to recent advance in the field of understanding cancer cell biology and its occurrence, as well as increasing the knowledge about conditionally replicating oncolytic viruses and their destructive function in the tumor cells, nowadays, it is possible to apply this strategy in the treatment of malignancies. Relying on achievements in clinical trials of oncolytic viruses, we can certainly expect that this therapeutic perception can play a more central role in cancer treatment. In cancer treatment, combination therapy using oncolytic viruses alongside standard cancer treatment methods and other immunotherapy-based treatments can expect more promising results in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arezou Azadi
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasrin Rastegarvand
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ala Habibian
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hoorieh Soleimanjahi
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Marek J Łos
- Biotechnology Center, Silesian University of Technology, 8 Krzywousty St., 44-100, Gliwice, Poland; LinkoCare Life Sciences AB, Linkoping, Sweden.
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Woo JK, Kim TG, Im NY, Son KY, Cho M, Jeong YJ, Hong JI, Kang B, Enkhtaivan G, Cho NH, Alain T, Park DG, Lee YS. Dual-Armed Oncolytic Myxoma Virus Encoding IFN-γ and CD47 Promotes Lymphocyte Infiltration and Tumor Suppression of Syngeneic Murine Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4703. [PMID: 37835397 PMCID: PMC10571683 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Myxoma virus (MyxV) is a rabbit-specific poxvirus. However, its ability to selectively target tumor cells has established it as a safe and effective anticancer therapy. To strengthen its preclinical efficacy, transgenes that can prolong cancer cell infection and enhance anti-tumor effector functions are currently being investigated. We engineered MyxV armed with CD47, to turn on a 'do not eat me' signal within infected cells with actively replicating viruses, and with IFN-γ to further activate host immune anticancer responses. Tumor suppressive activities were significantly enhanced by the dual-armed MyxV_CD47/IFN-γ compared to parental MyxV or single-armed MyxV_CD47 or MyxV_IFN-γ. In addition, significant increases in IFN-γ+ CD8+T-cells and CD4+ T-cells populations within tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were observed after MyxV_CD47/IFN-γ treatment. Notably, all groups treated with MyxV showed a marked reduction in Foxp3+ CD4+ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) within TIL. We also show that MyxV infection induces PD-L1 up-regulation in cancer cells, and combinational treatment of MyxV with anti-mouse PD-L1 antibodies (αPD-L1) further controlled tumor burden and increased survival in the syngeneic melanoma model B16F10. Our data demonstrate that a CD47 and IFNγ dual-armed MyxV is an effective oncolytic viral immunotherapeutic. These findings strongly support further preclinical investigations to develop next-generation MyxV-based immunotherapy approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Kyu Woo
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Geuk Kim
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Na Yeon Im
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Ka-Yeon Son
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Minhyeon Cho
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeo Jin Jeong
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Im Hong
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - BoRim Kang
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Gansukh Enkhtaivan
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
| | - Nam-Hyuk Cho
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Tommy Alain
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Dong Guk Park
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
- Department of Surgery, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Sook Lee
- ViroCure, #502, Ace TwinTower 1, 285 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08381, Republic of Korea
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Aghamajidi A, Farhangnia P, Pashangzadeh S, Damavandi AR, Jafari R. Tumor-promoting myeloid cells in the pathogenesis of human oncoviruses: potential targets for immunotherapy. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:327. [PMID: 36303138 PMCID: PMC9608890 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02727-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncoviruses, known as cancer-causing viruses, are typically involved in cancer progression by inhibiting tumor suppressor pathways and uncontrolled cell division. Myeloid cells are the most frequent populations recruited to the tumor microenvironment (TME) and play a critical role in cancer development and metastasis of malignant tumors. Tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADCs), and tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) exert different states from anti-tumorigenic to pro-tumorigenic phenotypes in TME. Although their role in the anti-tumorigenic state is well introduced, their opposing roles, pro-tumorigenic activities, such as anti-inflammatory cytokine and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, should not be ignored since they result in inflammation, tumor progression, angiogenesis, and evasion. Since the blockade of these cells had promising results against cancer progression, their inhibition might be helpful in various cancer immunotherapies. This review highlights the promoting role of tumor-associated myeloid cells (TAMCs) in the pathophysiology of human virus tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azin Aghamajidi
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Pooya Farhangnia
- grid.411746.10000 0004 4911 7066Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Salar Pashangzadeh
- grid.411705.60000 0001 0166 0922Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirmasoud Rayati Damavandi
- grid.411705.60000 0001 0166 0922Students’ Scientific Research Center, Exceptional Talents Development Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ,grid.411705.60000 0001 0166 0922School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Jafari
- grid.412763.50000 0004 0442 8645Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
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Wang L, Chard Dunmall LS, Cheng Z, Wang Y. Remodeling the tumor microenvironment by oncolytic viruses: beyond oncolysis of tumor cells for cancer treatment. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e004167. [PMID: 35640930 PMCID: PMC9157365 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells manipulate the local environment in which they grow, creating a tumor microenvironment (TME) that promotes tumor survival and metastasis. The TME is an extremely complex environment rich in immunosuppressive cells and cytokines. Various methods to therapeutically target the complicated TME are emerging as a potential approach for cancer treatment. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are one of the most promising methods for remodeling the TME into an antitumor environment and can be used alone or in combination with other immunotherapy options. OVs replicate specifically in tumor cells and can be genetically engineered to target multiple elements of the TME simultaneously, thus representing a therapeutic with the potential to modify the TME to promote activation of antitumor immune cells and overcome tumor therapeutic resistance and recurrence. In this review, we analyze the tropism of OVs towards tumor cells and explore the interaction between OVs and immune cells, tumor stroma, vasculature and the metabolic environment in detail to help understand how OVs may be one of our most promising prospects for long-term curative therapies. We also discuss some of the challenges associated with TME therapies, and future perspectives in this evolving field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihong Wang
- National Centre for International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy, Sino-British Research Centre for Molecular Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Louisa S Chard Dunmall
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Biotherapeutics, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Zhenguo Cheng
- National Centre for International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy, Sino-British Research Centre for Molecular Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yaohe Wang
- National Centre for International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy, Sino-British Research Centre for Molecular Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers and Biotherapeutics, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Humeau J, Le Naour J, Galluzzi L, Kroemer G, Pol JG. Trial watch: intratumoral immunotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1984677. [PMID: 34676147 PMCID: PMC8526014 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1984677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
While chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain the first-line approaches for the management of most unresectable tumors, immunotherapy has emerged in the past two decades as a game-changing treatment, notably with the clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Immunotherapies aim at (re)activating anticancer immune responses which occur in two main steps: (1) the activation and expansion of tumor-specific T cells following cross-presentation of tumor antigens by specialized myeloid cells (priming phase); and (2) the immunological clearance of malignant cells by these antitumor T lymphocytes (effector phase). Therapeutic vaccines, adjuvants, monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, immunogenic cell death-inducing agents including oncolytic viruses, anthracycline-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as adoptive cell transfer, all act at different levels of this cascade to (re)instate cancer immunosurveillance. Intratumoral delivery of these immunotherapeutics is being tested in clinical trials to promote superior antitumor immune activity in the context of limited systemic toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Humeau
- Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Julie Le Naour
- Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Saclay, Kremlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Saclay, Kremlin Bicêtre, France
- Pôle de Biologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Karolinska Institute, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Suzhou Institute for Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Suzhou, China
| | - Jonathan G. Pol
- Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Saclay, Kremlin Bicêtre, France
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Immunomodulatory Arming Factors-The Current Paradigm for Oncolytic Vectors Relies on Immune Stimulating Molecules. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22169051. [PMID: 34445759 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22169051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The dogma of engineering oncolytic viral vectors has shifted from emphasizing the viral lysis of individual cancer cells to the recruitment and coordination of the adaptive immune system to clear the tumor. To accomplish this, researchers have been adding several classes of transgenes to their preferred viral platforms. The most prevalent of these include antibodies and targeting moieties, interleukins and cytokines, and genes which rely on small molecule co-administration for tumor killing. Most current vectors rely exclusively on one of these types of transgenes to elicit the desired immune response to clear tumors, but are not mutually exclusive, with several larger OVs armed with several of these factors. The common theme of emerging armed vectors is to simply initiate or enhance infiltration of effector CD8+ T cells to clear the tumor locally at OV infection sites, and systemically throughout the body where the OV has not infected tumor cells. The precision of oncolytic vectors to target a cell type or tissue remains its key advantage over small-molecule drugs. Unlike chemo- and other drug therapies, viral vectors can be made to specifically infect and grow within tumor cells. This ensures localized expression of the therapeutic transgene to the diseased tissue, thereby limiting systemic toxicity. This review will examine the immunomodulating transgenes of current OVs, describe their general effect on the immune system, and provide the rationale for each vector's use in clearing its targeted tumor.
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