Oncolytic viruses: From bench to bedside with a focus on safety

• Published in: Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics 2015-07, Vol.11 (7), p.1573-1584
• Main Authors: Buijs, Pascal RA, Verhagen, Judith HE, van Eijck, Casper HJ, van den Hoogen, Bernadette G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cancer; CAR, Coxsackie Adenovirus receptor; CD, cytosine deaminase; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; Clinical Trials as Topic; crHAdV, conditionally replicating HAdV; CVA, Coxsackievirus type A; DAF, decay accelerating factor; DNA, DNA; dsDNA, double stranded DNA; dsRNA, double stranded RNA; EEV, extracellular enveloped virus; EGF, epidermal growth factor; EGF-R, EGF receptor; EMA, European Medicines Agency; environment; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; GBM, glioblastoma multiforme; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; HA, hemagglutinin; HAdV, Human (mast)adenovirus; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; hIFNβ, human IFN β; HSV, herpes simplex virus; Humans; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; IFN, interferon; immunotherapy; IRES, internal ribosome entry site; Kb, kilobase pairs; KRAS, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog; MeV, Measles virus; mORV, Mammalian orthoreovirus; mORV-T3D, mORV type 3 Dearing; MuLV, Murine leukemia virus; NDV, Newcastle disease virus; NIS, sodium/iodide symporter; NSCLC, non-small cell lung carcinoma; oHSV, oncolytic HSV; Oncolytic Virotherapy; oncolytic virus; Oncolytic Viruses; OV, oncolytic virus; PEG, polyethylene glycol; PKR, protein kinase R; PV, Polio virus; Rb, retinoblastoma; RCR, replication competent retrovirus; RCT, randomized controlled trial; rdHAdV, replication-deficient HAdV; Review; RGD, arginylglycylaspartic acid (Arg-Gly-Asp); RNA, ribonucleic acid; safety; shedding; ssRNA, single stranded RNA; SVV, Seneca Valley virus; TGFα, transforming growth factor α; tk, thymidine kinase; Translational Medical Research; VGF, Vaccinia growth factor; Virus Shedding; VSV, Vesicular stomatitis virus; VV, Vaccinia virus
• ISSN: 2164-5515; 2164-554X
• DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1037058

Oncolytic viruses are a relatively new class of anti-cancer immunotherapy agents. Several viruses have undergone evaluation in clinical trials in the last decades, and the first agent is about to be approved to be used as a novel cancer therapy modality. In the current review, an overview is presented on recent (pre)clinical developments in the field of oncolytic viruses that have previously been or currently are being evaluated in clinical trials. Special attention is given to possible safety issues like toxicity, environmental shedding, mutation and reversion to wildtype virus.