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Oncolytic viruses—immunotherapeutics on the rise

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Abstract

The oncolytic virus (OV) field has entered an exciting period in its evolution in which our basic understanding of viral biology and anti-cancer potential are being actively translated into viable therapeutic options for aggressive malignancies. OVs are naturally occurring or engineered viruses that are able to exploit cancer-specific changes in cellular signaling to specifically target cancers and their microenvironment. The direct cytolytic effect of OVs on cancer cells is known to release antigens, which can begin a cascade of events that results in the induction of anti-cancer adaptive immunity. This response is now regarded as the most critical mechanism of OV action and harnessing it can lead to the elimination of distant micrometastases as well as provide long-term anti-cancer immune surveillance. In this review, we highlight the development of the OV field, why OVs are gaining an increasingly elevated standing as members of the cancer immunotherapy armamentarium, and finally, ongoing clinical studies that are aimed at translating unique OV therapies into approved therapies for aggressive cancers.

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Acknowledgments

BAK is supported by a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. JCB is supported by the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Terry Fox Foundation. We would like to acknowledge the many investigators whose basic discoveries have been translated into clinical candidate oncolytic viral therapeutics and may otherwise not be mentioned. We would like to thank Dr. C. Ilkow for the critical appraisal of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Innovative Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada

    Brian A. Keller & John C. Bell

  2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Brian A. Keller & John C. Bell

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  1. Brian A. Keller
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  2. John C. Bell
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Correspondence to John C. Bell.

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JCB is a scientific co-founder of Turnstone Biologics.

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Keller, B.A., Bell, J.C. Oncolytic viruses—immunotherapeutics on the rise. J Mol Med 94, 979–991 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-016-1453-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-016-1453-9

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