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Progress in gene therapy using oncolytic vaccinia virus as vectors

  • Review – Clinical Oncology
  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Vaccinia virus was widely used in the World Health Organization’s smallpox eradication campaign and is currently a promising vector for gene therapy owing to its unique characteristics. Vaccinia virus can selectively replicate and propagate productively in tumor cells, resulting in oncolysis. In addition, rapid viral particle production, wide host range, large genome size (approximately 200 kb), and safe handling render vaccinia virus a suitable vector for gene therapy.

Materials and methods

Cancer vaccines and gene therapy are being studied in clinical trials and experiment researches. However, we put forward unique challenges of optimal selection of foreign genes, administration and modification of VACV, personalized medicine, and other existing problems, based on current researches and our own experiments.

Conclusion

This review presents an overview of the vaccinia virus from its mechanisms to medical researches and clinical trials. We believe that the solution to these problems will contribute to understanding mechanisms of VACV and provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment.

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Abbreviations

VACV:

Vaccinia virus

WR:

Western reserve

VTT:

Vaccinia virus Tian Tan strain

TK:

Thymidine tyrosine kinase

GM–CSF:

Granulocyte–macrophage colony stimulating factor

MVA:

Modified vaccinia Ankara

CD:

Cytosinedeaminase

5-FU:

5-fluorouracil

RNAi:

RNA interference

siRNA:

Short interfering double-stranded RNA

shRNA:

Short hairpin RNA

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Acknowledgements

We thanked Jie Liu for the literature search.

Funding

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81703061).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Xue Yang, Biao Huang and Lili Deng contributed equally to this work and should be considered as first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Affiliated Wuxi People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi Children’s Hospital, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China

    Xue Yang & Zhigang Hu

  2. School of Life Science, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, 310018, China

    Biao Huang

  3. Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, Jiangsu, China

    Lili Deng

Authors
  1. Xue Yang
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  2. Biao Huang
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  3. Lili Deng
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  4. Zhigang Hu
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Contributions

XY and BH did the data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript writing; LD did collection and assembly of data; ZH did the conception/design, provision of study material or patients, and final approval of manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhigang Hu.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Yang, X., Huang, B., Deng, L. et al. Progress in gene therapy using oncolytic vaccinia virus as vectors. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 144, 2433–2440 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-018-2762-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-018-2762-x

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