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Kanaya N, Kitamura Y, Vazquez ML, Franco A, Chen KS, van Schaik TA, Farzani TA, Borges P, Ichinose T, Seddiq W, Kuroda S, Boland G, Jahan N, Fisher D, Wakimoto H, Shah K. Gene-edited and -engineered stem cell platform drives immunotherapy for brain metastatic melanomas. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eade8732. [PMID: 37256936 PMCID: PMC10799631 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ade8732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Oncolytic virus therapy has shown activity against primary melanomas; however, its efficacy in brain metastases remains challenging, mainly because of the delivery and immunosuppressive nature of tumors in the brain. To address this challenge, we first established PTEN-deficient melanoma brain metastasis mouse models and characterized them to be more immunosuppressive compared with primary melanoma, mimicking the clinical settings. Next, we developed an allogeneic twin stem cell (TSC) system composed of two tumor-targeting stem cell (SC) populations. One SC was loaded with oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV), and the other SC was CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited to knock out nectin 1 (N1) receptor (N1KO) to acquire resistance to oHSV and release immunomodulators, such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Using mouse models of brain metastatic BRAFV600E/PTEN-/- and BRAFV600E/wt/PTEN-/- mutant melanomas, we show that locoregional delivery of TSCs releasing oHSV and GM-CSF (TSC-G) activated dendritic cell- and T cell-mediated immune responses. In addition, our strategy exhibited greater therapeutic efficacy when compared with the existing oncolytic viral therapeutic approaches. Moreover, the TSCs composed of SC-oHSV and SCN1KO-releasing GM-CSF and single-chain variable fragment anti-PD-1 (TSC-G/P) had therapeutic efficacy in both syngeneic and patient-derived humanized mouse models of leptomeningeal metastasis. Our findings provide a promising allogeneic SC-based immunotherapeutic strategy against melanomas in the CNS and a road map toward clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhiko Kanaya
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yohei Kitamura
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maria Lopez Vazquez
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Arnaldo Franco
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kok-Siong Chen
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thijs A. van Schaik
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Touraj Aligholipour Farzani
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Paulo Borges
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Toru Ichinose
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Waleed Seddiq
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shinji Kuroda
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Genevieve Boland
- Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nusrat Jahan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David Fisher
- Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hiroaki Wakimoto
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Khalid Shah
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Zhu L, Lei Y, Huang J, An Y, Ren Y, Chen L, Zhao H, Zheng C. Recent advances in oncolytic virus therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1172292. [PMID: 37182136 PMCID: PMC10169724 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1172292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly refractory cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite the development of a detailed treatment strategy for HCC, the survival rate remains unsatisfactory. Oncolytic virus has been extensively researched as a new cancer therapeutic agent in the treatment of HCC. Researchers have designed a variety of recombinant viruses based on natural oncolytic diseases, which can increase the targeting of oncolytic viruses to HCC and their survival in tumors, as well as kill tumor cells and inhibit the growth of HCC through a variety of mechanisms. The overall efficacy of oncolytic virus therapy is known to be influenced by anti-tumor immunity, toxic killing effect and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, etc. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the multiple oncolytic mechanisms of oncolytic viruses in HCC has been conducted. So far, a large number of relevant clinical trials are under way or have been completed, and some encouraging results have been obtained. Studies have shown that oncolytic virus combined with other HCC therapies may be a feasible method, including local therapy, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In addition, different delivery routes for oncolytic viruses have been studied so far. These studies make oncolytic virus a new and attractive drug for the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Licheng Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Lei
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jia Huang
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yahang An
- The First Affiliated Hospital, and College of Clinical Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Yanqiao Ren
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huangxuan Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chuansheng Zheng
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Março KS, da Silva Borégio J, Jussiani GG, de Souza Ferreira LFE, Flores GVA, Pacheco CMS, Laurenti MD, Machado GF. Thymic alterations resulting from experimental visceral leishmaniasis in a Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2023; 257:110558. [PMID: 36758455 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2023.110558] [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: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The thymus is a lymphoid organ responsible for the development and maturation of T cells, which are part of the Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg immune responses triggered by visceral leishmaniasis. The maturation and immunological development of T lymphocytes require a bidirectional interaction between the thymic microenvironment of epithelial cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages and the extracellular matrix with differentiating lymphocytes. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the morphological characteristics and tissue distribution of hematopoietic and stromal cells in the thymuses of hamsters experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum, aiming to gain an insight into the pathophysiology of the disease. METHODS Fifteen hamsters were subjected to intraperitoneal experimental infection with 107L. infantum promastigotes (MHOM/BR/1972/BH46). The animals were divided into three groups, each comprising five infected hamsters, and were then euthanized 15, 60, and 120 days postinfection. The control groups consisted of three groups of five healthy hamsters euthanized simultaneously with the infected ones. Thymic morphology was evaluated through histopathology and the cell composition through immunohistochemistry. We used antibodies to mark mesenchymal cells (anti-vimentin), epithelial cells (anti-cytokeratin), macrophages (anti-MAC387), B lymphocytes (anti-CD79a), and T lymphocytes (anti-CD3). Immunohistochemistry was also used to mark the parasite in the thymus. RESULTS Infected and control hamsters showed no difference in thymic morphology and degree of atrophy. After 15 days of infection, CD3 + T lymphocytes in the thymus showed an increase that stabilized over time. At 120 days of infection, we detected a significant decrease in CD79a+ B lymphocytes. The parasite was present in the medullary and corticomedullary regions of 9 out of 15 hamsters. These findings confirm that the presence of a parasite can cause changes in a thymus cell population. However, further studies are needed to evaluate these changes' effects on the immune response of infected animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Santos Março
- Laboratory of Applied Pathology (LAPAP), Department of Animal Clinical, Surgical and Reproductive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline da Silva Borégio
- Laboratory of Applied Pathology (LAPAP), Department of Animal Clinical, Surgical and Reproductive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brazil
| | - Giulia Gonçalves Jussiani
- Laboratory of Applied Pathology (LAPAP), Department of Animal Clinical, Surgical and Reproductive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brazil
| | - Laura Flávia Esperança de Souza Ferreira
- Laboratory of Applied Pathology (LAPAP), Department of Animal Clinical, Surgical and Reproductive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Venicia Araujo Flores
- Laboratory of Infectious Disease Pathology (LIM/50), Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Carmen Maria Sandoval Pacheco
- Laboratory of Infectious Disease Pathology (LIM/50), Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcia Dalastra Laurenti
- Laboratory of Infectious Disease Pathology (LIM/50), Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Gisele Fabrino Machado
- Laboratory of Applied Pathology (LAPAP), Department of Animal Clinical, Surgical and Reproductive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University - UNESP, Araçatuba, SP, Brazil.
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Jia Y, Wang Y, Dunmall LSC, Lemoine NR, Wang P, Wang Y. Syrian hamster as an ideal animal model for evaluation of cancer immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1126969. [PMID: 36923404 PMCID: PMC10008950 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1126969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy (CIT) has emerged as an exciting new pillar of cancer treatment. Although benefits have been achieved in individual patients, the overall response rate is still not satisfactory. To address this, an ideal preclinical animal model for evaluating CIT is urgently needed. Syrian hamsters present similar features to humans with regard to their anatomy, physiology, and pathology. Notably, the histological features and pathological progression of tumors and the complexity of the tumor microenvironment are equivalent to the human scenario. This article reviews the current tumor models in Syrian hamster and the latest progress in their application to development of tumor treatments including immune checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, adoptive cell therapy, cancer vaccines, and oncolytic viruses. This progress strongly advocates Syrian hamster as an ideal animal model for development and assessment of CIT for human cancer treatments. Additionally, the challenges of the Syrian hamster as an animal model for CIT are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanru Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Louisa S Chard Dunmall
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers & Biotherapeutics, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas R. Lemoine
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers & Biotherapeutics, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pengju Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yaohe Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers & Biotherapeutics, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Nisar M, Paracha RZ, Adil S, Qureshi SN, Janjua HA. An Extensive Review on Preclinical and Clinical Trials of Oncolytic Viruses Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:875188. [PMID: 35686109 PMCID: PMC9171400 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.875188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy resistance and peculiar tumor microenvironment, which diminish or mitigate the effects of therapies, make pancreatic cancer one of the deadliest malignancies to manage and treat. Advanced immunotherapies are under consideration intending to ameliorate the overall patient survival rate in pancreatic cancer. Oncolytic viruses therapy is a new type of immunotherapy in which a virus after infecting and lysis the cancer cell induces/activates patients’ immune response by releasing tumor antigen in the blood. The current review covers the pathways and molecular ablation that take place in pancreatic cancer cells. It also unfolds the extensive preclinical and clinical trial studies of oncolytic viruses performed and/or undergoing to design an efficacious therapy against pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryum Nisar
- School of Interdisciplinary Engineering & Sciences (SINES), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Rehan Zafar Paracha
- School of Interdisciplinary Engineering & Sciences (SINES), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sidra Adil
- School of Interdisciplinary Engineering & Sciences (SINES), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Hussnain Ahmed Janjua
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Zhang H, Zhang Y, Dong J, Zuo S, Meng G, Wu J, Wei J. Recombinant adenovirus expressing the fusion protein PD1PVR improves CD8 + T cell-mediated antitumor efficacy with long-term tumor-specific immune surveillance in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2021; 44:1243-1255. [PMID: 34491549 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-021-00633-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Treatment-associated upregulation of suppressive checkpoints and a lack of costimulatory signals compromise the antitumor efficacy of oncolytic virus immunotherapy. Therefore, we aimed to identify highly effective therapeutic targets to provide a proof-of-principle for immune checkpoint together with oncolytic virus-mediated viro-immunotherapy for cancer. METHODS A fusion protein containing both the extracellular domain of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and the poliovirus receptor (PVR) was designed. Next, the corresponding expression fragment was inserted into the genome of a replication-competent adenovirus to generate Ad5sPD1PVR. The infection, expression, replication and oncolysis of Ad5sPD1PVR were investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Immune activation and the antitumor efficacy of Ad5sPD1PVR were examined in HCC tumor models including a humanized immunocompetent mouse model. RESULTS Ad5sPD1PVR effectively infected and replicated in HCC cells and secreted sPD1PVR. In a H22 ascitic HCC mouse model, intraperitoneal injection of Ad5sPD1PVR markedly recruited lymphocytes and activated antitumor immune responses. Ad5sPD1PVR exerted a profound antitumor effect on ascitic HCC. Furthermore, we found that Ad5sPD1PVR-H expressing sPD1PVR of human origin exhibited potent antitumor effects in a HCC humanized mouse model. We also found that CD8+ T cells mediated the antitumor effects and long-term tumor-specific immune surveillance induced by Ad5sPD1PVR. Finally, when combined with fludarabine, the antitumor efficacy of Ad5sPD1PVR was found to be further improved in the ascitic HCC model. CONCLUSIONS From our data we conclude that the newly designed recombinant Ad5sPD1PVR virus significantly enhances CD8+ T cell-mediated antitumor efficacy with long-term tumor-specific immune surveillance in hepatocellular carcinoma, and that fludarabine is a promising therapeutic partner for Ad5sPD1PVR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailin Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Yonghui Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Jie Dong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Shuguang Zuo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Gang Meng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Junhua Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China.
- National Institute of Healthcare Data Science At Nanjing University, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
| | - Jiwu Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China.
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Zhang W, Zeng B, Hu X, Zou L, Liang J, Song Y, Liu B, Liu S. Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Can Effectively Inhibit Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis by Modulating the Immune Status in the Tumor Microenvironment and Inducing Specific Antitumor Immunity. Hum Gene Ther 2021; 32:203-215. [PMID: 33176492 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2020.239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although colorectal cancer is the leading cause of death in patients with liver metastases, there are no efficient treatments available. Oncolytic virus therapy, a new type of tumor therapy, has become a potential solution. With the goal of improving the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, we applied oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 2 (oHSV2) in a mouse model of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis. Compared with the control, oHSV2 effectively inhibited the growth of subcutaneous primary tumors, significantly reduced the number and size of liver metastases, and prolonged the median survival time of the mice. In addition, neutrophils, natural killer (NK) cells, T cells, B cells, and cytokines in the tumor microenvironment and the body were all activated, and their frequencies increased significantly. Moreover, the proportion of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells decreased. oHSV2 treatment, which establishes an effective long-term antitumor immune response, is strongly resistant to rechallenge by the same tumor. Our data show that oHSV2 can effectively kill the primary tumor and attack distal and metastatic tumors by inducing immune responses, resulting in lasting antitumor efficacy and preventing tumor recurrence. It is believed that oHSV2 has good clinical application prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Zhang
- Departments of Immunology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Beibei Zeng
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lingjie Zou
- Departments of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liang
- Departments of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Song
- Departments of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Binlei Liu
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei Provincial Cooperative Innovation Centre of Industrial Fermentation, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shangmei Liu
- Departments of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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8
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Cervera-Carrascon V, Quixabeira DCA, Havunen R, Santos JM, Kutvonen E, Clubb JHA, Siurala M, Heiniö C, Zafar S, Koivula T, Lumen D, Vaha M, Garcia-Horsman A, Airaksinen AJ, Sorsa S, Anttila M, Hukkanen V, Kanerva A, Hemminki A. Comparison of Clinically Relevant Oncolytic Virus Platforms for Enhancing T Cell Therapy of Solid Tumors. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2020; 17:47-60. [PMID: 32322662 PMCID: PMC7163046 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite some promising results, the majority of patients do not benefit from T cell therapies, as tumors prevent T cells from entering the tumor, shut down their activity, or downregulate key antigens. Due to their nature and mechanism of action, oncolytic viruses have features that can help overcome many of the barriers currently facing T cell therapies of solid tumors. This study aims to understand how four different oncolytic viruses (adenovirus, vaccinia virus, herpes simplex virus, and reovirus) perform in that task. For that purpose, an immunocompetent in vivo tumor model featuring adoptive tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy was used. Tumor growth control (p < 0.001) and survival analyses suggest that adenovirus was most effective in enabling T cell therapy. The complete response rate was 62% for TILs + adenovirus versus 17.5% for TILs + PBS. Of note, TIL biodistribution did not explain efficacy differences between viruses. Instead, immunostimulatory shifts in the tumor microenvironment mirrored efficacy results. Overall, the use of oncolytic viruses can improve the utility of T cell therapies, and additional virus engineering by arming with transgenes can provide further antitumor effects. This phenomenon was seen when an unarmed oncolytic adenovirus was compared to Ad5/3-E2F-d24-hTNFa-IRES-hIL2 (TILT-123). A clinical trial is ongoing, where patients receiving TIL treatment also receive TILT-123 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04217473).
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Cervera-Carrascon
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dafne C A Quixabeira
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riikka Havunen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Joao M Santos
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emma Kutvonen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - James H A Clubb
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko Siurala
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Camilla Heiniö
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sadia Zafar
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Teija Koivula
- Department of Chemistry, Radiochemistry, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dave Lumen
- Department of Chemistry, Radiochemistry, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marjo Vaha
- Regenerative Pharmacology Group, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Arturo Garcia-Horsman
- Regenerative Pharmacology Group, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anu J Airaksinen
- Department of Chemistry, Radiochemistry, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Suvi Sorsa
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Veijo Hukkanen
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Anna Kanerva
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Akseli Hemminki
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.,Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
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9
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Schuelke MR, Wongthida P, Thompson J, Kottke T, Driscoll CB, Huff AL, Shim KG, Coffey M, Pulido J, Evgin L, Vile RG. Diverse immunotherapies can effectively treat syngeneic brainstem tumors in the absence of overt toxicity. J Immunother Cancer 2019; 7:188. [PMID: 31315671 PMCID: PMC6637625 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0673-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotherapy has shown remarkable clinical promise in the treatment of various types of cancers. However, clinical benefits derive from a highly inflammatory mechanism of action. This presents unique challenges for use in pediatric brainstem tumors including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), since treatment-related inflammation could cause catastrophic toxicity. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate whether inflammatory, immune-based therapies are likely to be too dangerous to pursue for the treatment of pediatric brainstem tumors. METHODS To complement previous immunotherapy studies using patient-derived xenografts in immunodeficient mice, we developed fully immunocompetent models of immunotherapy using transplantable, syngeneic tumors. These four models - HSVtk/GCV suicide gene immunotherapy, oncolytic viroimmunotherapy, adoptive T cell transfer, and CAR T cell therapy - have been optimized to treat tumors outside of the CNS and induce a broad spectrum of inflammatory profiles, maximizing the chances of observing brainstem toxicity. RESULTS All four models achieved anti-tumor efficacy in the absence of toxicity, with the exception of recombinant vaccinia virus expressing GMCSF, which demonstrated inflammatory toxicity. Histology, imaging, and flow cytometry confirmed the presence of brainstem inflammation in all models. Where used, the addition of immune checkpoint blockade did not introduce toxicity. CONCLUSIONS It remains imperative to regard the brainstem with caution for immunotherapeutic intervention. Nonetheless, we show that further careful development of immunotherapies for pediatric brainstem tumors is warranted to harness the potential potency of anti-tumor immune responses, despite their possible toxicity within this anatomically sensitive location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Schuelke
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | | | - Jill Thompson
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Timothy Kottke
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | | | - Amanda L Huff
- Virology and Gene Therapy Track, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Kevin G Shim
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Matt Coffey
- Oncolytics Biotech, Inc., Calgary, AB, T2N 1X7, Canada
| | - Jose Pulido
- Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Laura Evgin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Richard G Vile
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, St James' University Hospital, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.
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10
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Deng L, Fan J, Ding Y, Zhang J, Zhou B, Zhang Y, Huang B. Oncolytic efficacy of thymidine kinase-deleted vaccinia virus strain Guang9. Oncotarget 2018; 8:40533-40543. [PMID: 28465492 PMCID: PMC5522336 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic virotherapy is being developed as a promising platform for cancer therapy due to its ability to lyse cancer cells in a tumor-specific manner. Vaccinia virus has been used as a live vaccine in the smallpox eradication program and now is being potential in cancer therapy with a great safety profile. Vaccinia strain Guang9 (VG9) is an attenuated Chinese vaccinia virus and its oncolytic efficacy has been evaluated in our previous study. To improve the tumor selectivity and oncolytic efficacy, we here developed a thymidine kinase (TK)-deleted vaccinia virus based on Guang9 strain. The viral replication, marker gene expression and cytotoxicity in various cell lines were evaluated; antitumor effects in vivo were assessed in multiple tumor models. In vitro, the TK-deleted vaccinia virus replicated rapidly, but the cytotoxicity varied in different cell lines. It was notably attenuated in normal cells and resting cells in vitro, while tumor-selectively replicated in vivo. Significant antitumor effects were observed both in murine melanoma tumor model and human hepatoma tumor model. It significantly inhibited the growth of subcutaneously implanted tumors and prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice. Collectively, TK-deleted vaccinia strain Guang9 is a promising constructive virus vector for tumor-directed gene therapy and will be a potential therapeutic strategy in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Deng
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Fan
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuedi Ding
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jue Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Biao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
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11
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Mejías-Pérez E, Carreño-Fuentes L, Esteban M. Development of a Safe and Effective Vaccinia Virus Oncolytic Vector WR-Δ4 with a Set of Gene Deletions on Several Viral Pathways. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2018; 8:27-40. [PMID: 29367944 PMCID: PMC5772009 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the effectiveness of classic treatments and available diagnostic tools, cancer continues to be a leading world health problem, with devastating cancer-related death rates. Advances in oncolytic virotherapy have shown promise as potentially effective treatment options in the fight against cancer. The poxviruses have many features that make them an attractive platform for the development of oncolytic vectors, with some candidates currently in clinical trials. Here, we report the design and generation of a new oncolytic vector based on the vaccinia virus Western Reserve (WR) strain. We show that the WR-Δ4 virus, with the combined deletion of four specific viral genes that act on metabolic, proliferation, and signaling pathways (A48R, B18R, C11R, and J2R), has effective anti-tumor capabilities in vivo. In WR-Δ4-infected mice, we observed strong viral attenuation, reduced virus dissemination, and efficient tumor cell growth control in the B16F10 syngeneic melanoma model, with enhanced neutrophil migration and activation of tumor antigen-specific immune responses. This approach provides an alternative strategy toward ongoing efforts to develop an optimal oncolytic poxvirus vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Mejías-Pérez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Darwin 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Liliana Carreño-Fuentes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Darwin 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Mariano Esteban
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Darwin 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
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12
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White M, Freistaedter A, Jones GJB, Zervos E, Roper RL. Development of improved therapeutic mesothelin-based vaccines for pancreatic cancer. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193131. [PMID: 29474384 PMCID: PMC5825036 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer deaths, and there are no effective treatments. We developed a poxvirus platform vaccine with improved immunogenicity and inserted the mesothelin gene to create an anti-mesothelin cancer vaccine. Mesothelin expression is mostly restricted to tumors in adult mammals and thus may be a good target for cancer treatment. We show here that the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) virus expressing mesothelin and the enhanced MVA virus missing the immunosuppressive A35 gene and expressing mesothelin were both safe in mice and were able to induce IFN-gamma secreting T cells in response to mesothelin expressing tumor cells. In addition, the MVA virus has oncolytic properties in vitro as it can replicate in and kill Panc02 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line tumor cells, even though it is unable to replicate in most mammalian cells. Deletion of the A35 gene in MVA improved T cell responses as expected. However, we were unable to demonstrate inhibition of Panc02 tumor growth in immunocompetent mice with pre-vaccination of mice, boosts, or even intratumoral injections of the recombinant viruses. Vaccine efficacy may be limited by shedding of mesothelin from tumor cells thus creating a protective screen from the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael White
- Department of Surgery, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States of America
| | - Andrew Freistaedter
- Department of Microbiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States of America
| | - Gwendolyn J B Jones
- Department of Microbiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States of America
| | - Emmanuel Zervos
- Department of Surgery, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States of America
| | - Rachel L Roper
- Department of Microbiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States of America
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13
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Duffy MR, Fisher KD, Seymour LW. Making Oncolytic Virotherapy a Clinical Reality: The European Contribution. Hum Gene Ther 2017; 28:1033-1046. [PMID: 28793793 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2017.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are quickly moving toward the forefront of modern medicines. The reward for the decades of research invested into developing viral platforms that selectively replicate in and lyse tumor cells while sparking anticancer adaptive immunity is presenting in the form of durable therapeutic responses. While this has certainly been a concerted global effort, in this review for the 25th anniversary of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, we focus on the contributions made by European researchers. Research centers across Europe have held central roles in advancing OVs, from the earliest reports of coincidental viral infections leading to antitumor efficacy, to advanced mechanistic studies, and now through Phase I-III trials to imminent regulatory approvals. While challenges still remain, with limitations in preclinical animal models, antiviral immune clearance, and manufacture restrictions enforced by poor viral yields in certain cases, the field has come a very long way in recent years. Thoughtful mechanistic integration of OVs with standard of care strategies and other newly approved therapies should provide potent novel approaches. Combination with immunotherapeutic regimes holds significant promise, and the ability to arm the viral platform with therapeutic proteins for localized expression at the tumor site provides an opportunity for creating highly effective synergistic treatments and brings a new age of targeted cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret R Duffy
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford , Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kerry D Fisher
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford , Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Len W Seymour
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford , Oxford, United Kingdom
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14
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Yoo SY, Jeong SN, Kang DH, Heo J. Evolutionary cancer-favoring engineered vaccinia virus for metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncotarget 2017; 8:71489-71499. [PMID: 29069721 PMCID: PMC5641064 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered vaccinia virus-based therapy shows promising results in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, although a strategic virus design for the metastatic liver and the study of its efficacy in treating the cancer has not been well assessed. In this paper, we proposed a simple and strategic virus design for targeting metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. We developed an evolutionary cancer-favoring engineered vaccinia virus (CVV, which is produced by repeated selective replication in cancerous tissues and then deleting viral thymidine kinase genes) and investigated its therapeutic effects on metastatic liver cancer. The expression of the cell surface marker, CD44, which is associated with cancer stem cells, seems to be correlated with the cells’ metastatic characteristics; cellular migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) expression and liver tumorigenicity. The highly metastatic and tumorigenic Sk-Hep-1 cell line was selected and injected directly onto the liver tissue to develop a liver-to-colon metastasis model. In an animal study, the subjects were treated with sorafenib, CVV, or sorafenib with CVV. Metastatic regions were interestingly rare in the CVV-treated groups (i.e., CVV or sorafenib with CVV) whereas metastatic regions existed in the sorafenib-treated group. From results, we concluded that our simple strategy of developing a cancer-favoring virus can successfully eradicate metastatic liver cancer cells, provided that our CVV can be a promising therapeutic virus that targets metastatic liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Young Yoo
- BIO-IT Foundry Technology Institute, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.,Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 626-770, Republic of Korea.,Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Pusan National University and Medical Research Institute, Busan 602-739, Republic of Korea
| | - Su-Nam Jeong
- BIO-IT Foundry Technology Institute, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Hwan Kang
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 626-770, Republic of Korea.,Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Pusan National University and Medical Research Institute, Busan 602-739, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Heo
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Pusan National University and Medical Research Institute, Busan 602-739, Republic of Korea
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15
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Havunen R, Siurala M, Sorsa S, Grönberg-Vähä-Koskela S, Behr M, Tähtinen S, Santos JM, Karell P, Rusanen J, Nettelbeck DM, Ehrhardt A, Kanerva A, Hemminki A. Oncolytic Adenoviruses Armed with Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Interleukin-2 Enable Successful Adoptive Cell Therapy. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2016; 4:77-86. [PMID: 28345026 PMCID: PMC5363700 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2016.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy holds much promise in the treatment of cancer but results in solid tumors have been modest. The notable exception is tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy of melanoma, but this approach only works with high-dose preconditioning chemotherapy and systemic interleukin (IL)-2 postconditioning, both of which are associated with toxicities. To improve and broaden the applicability of adoptive cell transfer, we constructed oncolytic adenoviruses coding for human IL-2 (hIL2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), or both. The viruses showed potent antitumor efficacy against human tumors in immunocompromised severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. In immunocompetent Syrian hamsters, we combined the viruses with TIL transfer and were able to cure 100% of the animals. Cured animals were protected against tumor re-challenge, indicating a memory response. Arming with IL-2 and TNF-α increased the frequency of both CD4+ and CD8+ TILs in vivo and augmented splenocyte proliferation ex vivo, suggesting that the cytokines were important for T cell persistence and proliferation. Cytokine expression was limited to tumors and treatment-related signs of systemic toxicity were absent, suggesting safety. To conclude, cytokine-armed oncolytic adenoviruses enhanced adoptive cell therapy by favorable alteration of the tumor microenvironment. A clinical trial is in progress to study the utility of Ad5/3-E2F-d24-hTNFa-IRES-hIL2 (TILT-123) in human patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riikka Havunen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko Siurala
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; TILT Biotherapeutics, Ltd., 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Suvi Sorsa
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; TILT Biotherapeutics, Ltd., 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Michael Behr
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Siri Tähtinen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - João Manuel Santos
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; TILT Biotherapeutics, Ltd., 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pauliina Karell
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juuso Rusanen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Anja Ehrhardt
- Faculty of Health, Institute for Virology and Microbiology, University Witten/Herdecke, 58448 Witten, Germany
| | - Anna Kanerva
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, 00610 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Akseli Hemminki
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; TILT Biotherapeutics, Ltd., 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
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16
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Abstract
Oncolytic virotherapy, a type of nanomedicine in which oncolytic viruses (OVs) are used to selectively infect and lyse cancer cells, is an emerging field in cancer therapy. Some OVs exhibit a specific tropism for cancer cells, whereas others require genetic modification to enhance their binding with and entry into cancer cells. OVs both kill tumor cells and induce the host’s immune response against tumor cells. Armed with antitumor cellular molecules, antibodies, and/or in combination with anticancer drugs, OVs can accelerate the lysis of cancer cells. Among the OVs, vaccinia virus has been the focus of preclinical and clinical research because of its many favorable properties. In this review, the basic mechanisms of action of OVs are presented, including their entry, survival, tumor lysis, and immune activation, and the latest research in vaccinia virus-based virotherapy and its status as an anticancer nanomedicine in prospective clinical trials are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeong Heo
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan
| | - So Young Yoo
- BIO-IT Foundry Technology Institute; Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
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17
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Huang F, Wang BR, Wu YQ, Wang FC, Zhang J, Wang YG. Oncolytic viruses against cancer stem cells: A promising approach for gastrointestinal cancer. World J Gastroenterol 2016; 22:7999-8009. [PMID: 27672294 PMCID: PMC5028813 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i35.7999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal cancer has been one of the five most commonly diagnosed and leading causes of cancer mortality over the past few decades. Great progress in traditional therapies has been made, which prolonged survival in patients with early cancer, yet tumor relapse and drug resistance still occurred, which is explained by the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory. Oncolytic virotherapy has attracted increasing interest in cancer because of its ability to infect and lyse CSCs. This paper reviews the basic knowledge, CSC markers and therapeutics of gastrointestinal cancer (liver, gastric, colon and pancreatic cancer), as well as research advances and possible molecular mechanisms of various oncolytic viruses against gastrointestinal CSCs. This paper also summarizes the existing obstacles to oncolytic virotherapy and proposes several alternative suggestions to overcome the therapeutic limitations.
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18
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Hirvinen M, Capasso C, Guse K, Garofalo M, Vitale A, Ahonen M, Kuryk L, Vähä-Koskela M, Hemminki A, Fortino V, Greco D, Cerullo V. Expression of DAI by an oncolytic vaccinia virus boosts the immunogenicity of the virus and enhances antitumor immunity. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2016; 3:16002. [PMID: 27626058 PMCID: PMC5008257 DOI: 10.1038/mto.2016.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In oncolytic virotherapy, the ability of the virus to activate the immune system is a key attribute with regard to long-term antitumor effects. Vaccinia viruses bear one of the strongest oncolytic activities among all oncolytic viruses. However, its capacity for stimulation of antitumor immunity is not optimal, mainly due to its immunosuppressive nature. To overcome this problem, we developed an oncolytic VV that expresses intracellular pattern recognition receptor DNA-dependent activator of IFN-regulatory factors (DAI) to boost the innate immune system and to activate adaptive immune cells in the tumor. We showed that infection with DAI-expressing VV increases expression of several genes related to important immunological pathways. Treatment with DAI-armed VV resulted in significant reduction in the size of syngeneic melanoma tumors in mice. When the mice were rechallenged with the same tumor, DAI-VV-treated mice completely rejected growth of the new tumor, which indicates immunity established against the tumor. We also showed enhanced control of growth of human melanoma tumors and elevated levels of human T-cells in DAI-VV-treated mice humanized with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We conclude that expression of DAI by an oncolytic VV is a promising way to amplify the vaccine potency of an oncolytic vaccinia virus to trigger the innate-and eventually the long-lasting adaptive immunity against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Hirvinen
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland
| | - Cristian Capasso
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kilian Guse
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Department of Pathology and Transplantation Laboratory, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mariangela Garofalo
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland
| | - Andrea Vitale
- Department of Movement Sciences and Wellness (DiSMEB), University of Naples Parthenope and CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate , Naples, Italy
| | - Marko Ahonen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Department of Pathology and Transplantation Laboratory, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lukasz Kuryk
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Oncos Therapeutics Ltd., Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Akseli Hemminki
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Department of Pathology and Transplantation Laboratory, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; TILT Biotherapeutics, Ltd., Helsinki, Finland; Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Dario Greco
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health , Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vincenzo Cerullo
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland
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19
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Swift SL, Stojdl DF. Big Data Offers Novel Insights for Oncolytic Virus Immunotherapy. Viruses 2016; 8:v8020045. [PMID: 26861383 PMCID: PMC4776200 DOI: 10.3390/v8020045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2015] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-scale assays, such as microarrays, next-generation sequencing and various “omics” technologies, have explored multiple aspects of the immune response following virus infection, often from a public health perspective. Yet a lack of similar data exists for monitoring immune engagement during oncolytic virus immunotherapy (OVIT) in the cancer setting. Tracking immune signatures at the tumour site can create a snapshot or longitudinally analyse immune cell activation, infiltration and functionality within global populations or individual cells. Mapping immune changes over the course of oncolytic biotherapy—from initial infection to tumour stabilisation/regression through to long-term cure or escape/relapse—has the potential to generate important therapeutic insights around virus-host interactions. Further, correlating such immune signatures with specific tumour outcomes has significant value for guiding the development of novel oncolytic virus immunotherapy strategies. Here, we provide insights for OVIT from large-scale analyses of immune populations in the infection, vaccination and immunotherapy setting. We analyse several approaches to manipulating immune engagement during OVIT. We further explore immunocentric changes in the tumour tissue following immunotherapy, and compile several immune signatures of therapeutic success. Ultimately, we highlight clinically relevant large-scale approaches with the potential to strengthen future oncolytic strategies to optimally engage the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Swift
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada.
| | - David F Stojdl
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada.
- Department of Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
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20
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Hemminki O, Parviainen S, Juhila J, Turkki R, Linder N, Lundin J, Kankainen M, Ristimäki A, Koski A, Liikanen I, Oksanen M, Nettelbeck DM, Kairemo K, Partanen K, Joensuu T, Kanerva A, Hemminki A. Immunological data from cancer patients treated with Ad5/3-E2F-Δ24-GMCSF suggests utility for tumor immunotherapy. Oncotarget 2015; 6:4467-81. [PMID: 25714011 PMCID: PMC4414204 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses that selectively replicate in tumor cells can be used for treatment of cancer. Accumulating data suggests that virus induced oncolysis can enhance anti-tumor immunity and break immune tolerance. To capitalize on the immunogenic nature of oncolysis, we generated a quadruple modified oncolytic adenovirus expressing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF). Ad5/3-E2F-Δ24-GMCSF (CGTG-602) was engineered to contain a tumor specific E2F1 promoter driving an E1 gene deleted at the retinoblastoma protein binding site (“Δ24”). The fiber features a knob from serotype 3 for enhanced gene delivery to tumor cells. The virus was tested preclinically in vitro and in vivo and then 13 patients with solid tumors refractory to standard therapies were treated. Treatments were well tolerated and frequent tumor- and adenovirus-specific T-cell immune responses were seen. Overall, with regard to tumor marker or radiological responses, signs of antitumor efficacy were seen in 9/12 evaluable patients (75%). The radiological disease control rate with positron emission tomography was 83% while the response rate (including minor responses) was 50%. Tumor biopsies indicated accumulation of immunological cells, especially T-cells, to tumors after treatment. RNA expression analyses of tumors indicated immunological activation and metabolic changes secondary to virus replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otto Hemminki
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Suvi Parviainen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juuso Juhila
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riku Turkki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nina Linder
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johan Lundin
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki, Finland.,Division of Global Health/IHCAR, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Ari Ristimäki
- Department of Pathology, HUSLAB and Haartman Institute, Helsinki, University Central Hospital and Genome-Scale Biology, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anniina Koski
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ilkka Liikanen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Oksanen
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | | | | | - Anna Kanerva
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Akseli Hemminki
- Cancer Gene Therapy Group, Transplantation Laboratory & Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Docrates Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,TILT Biotherapeutics Ltd, Helsinki, Finland
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Bollino D, Colunga A, Li B, Aurelian L. ΔPK oncolytic activity includes modulation of the tumour cell milieu. J Gen Virol 2015; 97:496-508. [PMID: 26602205 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic virotherapy is a unique cancer therapeutic that encompasses tumour cell lysis through both virus replication and programmed cell death (PCD) pathways. Nonetheless, clinical efficacy is relatively modest, likely related to the immunosuppressive tumour milieu. Our studies use the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)-based oncolytic virus ΔPK that has documented anti-tumour activity associated with virus replication, PCD and cancer stem cell lysis. They are designed to examine whether ΔPK-mediated oncolysis includes the ability to reverse the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment by altering the balance of cytokines directly secreted by the melanoma cells and to define its mechanism. Here, we show that melanoma cells secreted the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10, and that secretion was inhibited by ΔPK through virus replication and c-Jun N-terminal kinase/c-Jun activation. ΔPK-induced IL-10 inhibition upregulated surface expression of MHC class I chain-related protein A, the ligand for the activating NKG2D receptor expressed on NK- and cytotoxic T-cells. Concomitantly, ΔPK also upregulated the secretion of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-1β through autophagy-mediated activation of Toll-like receptor 2 pathways and pyroptosis, and it inhibited the expression of the negative immune checkpoint regulator cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4. Pharmacologic inhibition of these processes significantly reduces the oncolytic activity of ΔPK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Bollino
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Aric Colunga
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Baiquan Li
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Laure Aurelian
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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22
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de Gruijl TD, Janssen AB, van Beusechem VW. Arming oncolytic viruses to leverage antitumor immunity. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2015; 15:959-71. [PMID: 25959450 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2015.1044433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Over the past decade, the cytolytic capabilities of oncolytic viruses (OVs), exploited to selectively eliminate neoplastic cells, have become secondary to their use to elicit a tumor-directed immune response. AREAS COVERED Here, based on an NCBI-PubMed literature survey, we review the efforts undertaken to arm OVs in order to improve therapeutic antitumor responses upon administration of these agents. Specifically, we explore the different options to modulate immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and to facilitate the generation of effective antitumor responses that have been investigated in conjunction with OVs in recent years. EXPERT OPINION Their induction of immunogenic tumor cell death and association with pro-inflammatory signals make OVs attractive immunotherapeutic modalities. The first promising clinical results with immunologically armed OVs warrant their further optimization and development. OVs should be modified to avoid detrimental effects of pre-existent anti-OV immunity as well as for increased tumor targeting and selectivity, so as to ultimately allow for systemic administration while achieving local immune potentiation and tumor elimination in the TME. In particular, a combination of trans-genes encoding bispecific T-cell engagers, immune checkpoint blockers and antigen-presenting cell enhancers will remove suppressive hurdles in the TME and allow for optimal antitumor efficacy of armed OVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja D de Gruijl
- VU University Medical Center - Cancer Center Amsterdam, Department of Medical Oncology , Room VUmc-CCA 2.44, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands +31 20 4444063 ;
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23
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Replicating poxviruses for human cancer therapy. J Microbiol 2015; 53:209-18. [PMID: 25845536 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-015-5041-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring oncolytic viruses are live, replication-proficient viruses that specifically infect human cancer cells while sparing normal cell counterparts. Since the eradication of smallpox in the 1970s with the aid of vaccinia viruses, the vaccinia viruses and other genera of poxviruses have shown various degrees of safety and efficacy in pre-clinical or clinical application for human anti-cancer therapeutics. Furthermore, we have recently discovered that cellular tumor suppressor genes are important in determining poxviral oncolytic tropism. Since carcinogenesis is a multi-step process involving accumulation of both oncogene and tumor suppressor gene abnormalities, it is interesting that poxvirus can exploit abnormal cellular tumor suppressor signaling for its oncolytic specificity and efficacy. Many tumor suppressor genes such as p53, ATM, and RB are known to play important roles in genomic fidelity/maintenance. Thus, tumor suppressor gene abnormality could affect host genomic integrity and likely disrupt intact antiviral networks due to accumulation of genetic defects, which would in turn result in oncolytic virus susceptibility. This review outlines the characteristics of oncolytic poxvirus strains, including vaccinia, myxoma, and squirrelpox virus, recent progress in elucidating the molecular connection between oncogene/tumor suppressor gene abnormalities and poxviral oncolytic tropism, and the associated preclinical/clinical implications. I would also like to propose future directions in the utility of poxviruses for oncolytic virotherapy.
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