Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases, affecting millions of people worldwide. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy have been proven effective at treating cancer, but these therapies can be the cause of many side effects and the risk of recurrence. Recently, an interesting new treatment approach, called viral oncotherapy (also sometimes called oncolytic virotherapy), has been developed.
This revolutionary approach is based on genetically engineered viruses that attack cancer cells without affecting healthy tissue. Currently, its clinical trials have shown some promising results, and it looks like a first step towards revolutionizing cancer treatment.
Oncolytic virotherapy is the use of genetically engineered viruses that are designed to attack and kill cancer cells in particular. The viruses are introduced into cancer cells and then replicate inside them until they rupture ( it’s called oncolysis ), which destroys the cancer cells and encourages the immune system to recognize remaining tumor cells and attack those cancer cells.
How does viral oncotherapy work?
Unlike chemo and radiation, which kill healthy cells, oncolytic viruses are designed to attack cancer cells. That’s because cancer cells have weakened antiviral defenses; they are more prone to infection by the virus, while normal cells don’t get infected because they do not replicate in them.
Dr. Jane Smith, a leading oncologist, says, “Oncolytic viruses work much like smart bombs—they find cancer tumors and kill them without causing collateral damage to healthy tissue – and that’s what makes viral oncotherapy so exciting. One of the most exciting aspects of viral oncotherapy is that it works right in patients’ bodies.”
Dr Jane explains it with the case of John Doe, 45 years old, a melanoma patient, who took part in a clinical trial for T-VEC, the first FDA-approved oncolytic virus therapy. After receiving injections of the modified herpes virus directly into his tumors, John saw significant tumor shrinkage and improved survival rates.
“I was skeptical at first, but the treatment worked better than I imagined,” said John. “It gave me hope when I thought I had none left.
Current Clinical Trials and Research
Viral oncotherapy is currently under clinical trialls globally, showing encouraging results in different cancer types. Several of them are outlining below:
T-VEC for Melanoma
T-VEC is a modified herpes simplex virus. It is the first oncolytic viral therapy approved by the FDA, and is extremely effective in treating advanced melanoma (resulting in both tumor shrinkage as well as improved immune responses).
Systemic Oncolytic Virotherapy
Intravenous delivery of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) can help in the treatment of cancers that have spread throughout the body. Earlier phase trials have shown that intravenous administration of VSV can lead to remission in some patients with refractory cancers. (Cancer that resists treatment and fails to respond or stop progressing)
Global Trials
With Clinical trials, scientists from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom are trying to find the use of oncolytic viruses for pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, to expand the use of viral oncotherapy to other types of cancers.
Dr Emily Carter, a researcher in oncolytic virotherapy, says, “The results from these trials are wonderful, ” she said. “We’re seeing patients who had no other options in life take a big step forward in cancer treatment.”
The Future: A World Without Cancer?
What if cancer were eradicated by viral oncotherapy in the future? That’d be pretty cool, right? That would probably be considered a bit of a sci-fi fantasy, but researchers aren’t holding their breath. And some are even looking into using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create extraordinarily precise viruses that can respond more efficiently to mutations in cancer cells in real time.
Another interesting way to do this is with nanotechnology to inject oncolytic viruses directly into tumors. That means nanoparticles carrying the virus would be injected into the bloodstream to act like tiny drones, seeking out and destroying cancerous cells.
Challenges and what’s next
Viral oncotherapy faces some challenges; every individual’s body reacts differently to the viruses, so treatment plans require additional information to be tailored to each individual. Scientists are also working on ways to help the viruses go deeper into tumors without being broken down by the immune system.
These treatments require several years of trial to clinically approved as widely available treatments for cancer patients. But Sarah Blagden, an oncologist at the University of Oxford, believes the future is bright; “With advances in genetic engineering, we’re on the cusp of making viral oncotherapy a standard option for many cancer patients.”
References:
- Clinical Landscape of Oncolytic Virus Research in 2020 – JITC, BMJ
- https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001486
- Oncolytic Virotherapy: A New Paradigm in Cancer Immunotherapy – MDPI
- https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/2/1180
- Clinical Activity of Systemic Oncolytic VSV Virotherapy in Refractory Cancer Patients – Blood Advances
- https://ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/6/11/3268/484092
- Oncolytic Virus Therapy Clinical Trials Global Landscape Whitepaper 2024 – Novotech CRO
- https://novotech-cro.com/whitepapers/oncolytic-virus-therapy-global-clinical-trial-landscape-2024
- Frontiers in Immunology – Oncolytic Virus Research
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.953410/full
- https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=oncolytic%20virus&viewType=Table
Similar articles: Waging a war against cancer using our fighter cells
Ayesha Noreen has an MSc in Microbiology and Molecular Virology. She is passionate about learning how life works, from tiny microbes to the spread of diseases. She enjoys writing science articles to spread awareness in public.
