Clinically Explored Virus-Based Therapies for the Treatment of Recurrent High-Grade Glioma in Adults

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Amanda V. Immidisetti, Rutgers State University; Chibueze D. Nwagwu, Emory University; David Adamson, Emory University; Nitesh V. Patel, Rutgers State University; Anne-Marie Carbonell, OncoSynergy Inc
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-02-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 by the authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9020138
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BIOMEDICINES
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 22
• Grant/Funding Information: This research received no external funding. The APC was paid by Emory University.
• Keywords: Research & Experimental Medicine; refractory glioma; virotherapy; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; neuro-oncology; Medicine, Research & Experimental; high-grade glioma; Science & Technology; chimeric viruses; oncolytic viruses; clinical trials; recurrent glioblastoma; glioblastoma
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Oncology; Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Biology, Neuroscience

Abstract

As new treatment modalities are being explored in neuro-oncology, viruses are emerging as a promising class of therapeutics. Virotherapy consists of the introduction of either wild-type or engineered viruses to the site of disease, where they exert an antitumor effect. These viruses can either be non-lytic, in which case they are used to deliver gene therapy, or lytic, which induces tumor cell lysis and subsequent host immunologic response. Replication-competent viruses can then go on to further infect and lyse neighboring glioma cells. This treatment paradigm is being explored extensively in both preclinical and clinical studies for a variety of indications. Virus-based therapies are advantageous due to the natural susceptibility of glioma cells to viral infection, which improves therapeutic selectivity. Furthermore, lytic viruses expose glioma antigens to the host immune system and subsequently stimulate an immune response that specifically targets tumor cells. This review surveys the current landscape of oncolytic virotherapy clinical trials in high-grade glioma, summarizes preclinical experiences, identifies challenges associated with this modality across multiple trials, and highlights the potential to integrate this therapeutic strategy into promising combinatory approaches.