Viruses as nanomedicine for cancer

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.

Keywords:

• oncolytic viruses
• cancer therapy
• vaccinia virus
• virotherapy

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Korean Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (HI13C0259 and HI16C1067); supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2014S1A2A2027641); and by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (NRF-2015R1A2A2A01004489).

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.