Armed interference: oncolytic viruses engineered to carry antitumor shRNAs.

摘要

A diverse array of oncolytic viruses are being developed for the treatment of cancer. These therapeutic agents are naturally and/or genetically targeted to replicate selectively in cancer cells. The resulting "oncolysis" is a novel mechanism of action (MOA) for cancer treatment and seems in many cases to be effective against apoptosis-resistant cells. In addition to this primary MOA, oncolytic viruses can demonstrate secondary MOAs such as induction of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes, anti-angiogenic cytokines,4 and chemosensitization.