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Virotherapy clinical trials for regional disease: In situ immune modulation using recombinant poxvirus vectors

Cancer Gene Therapy volume 9, pages 1013–1021 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

The ability of viruses to readily infect tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo has resulted in their study as antitumor agents through a variety of strategies. Replicating and conditionally replicating viruses and recombinant viruses encoding genes for toxins and/or prodrugs have been studied for their direct antitumor activity with promising results. However, to date, the lack of a targettable construct able to localize to all tumors following systemic administration has proven to be a major limitation in their use for metastatic disease. The ability of a variety of well-characterized viruses to serve as vectors for expression of tumor antigens and/or cytokines has also resulted in their study as immunotherapeutic agents. In this review, we discuss preclinical and clinical data that support the use of recombinant poxviruses as vectors for in situ tumor transfection with immune-enhancing cytokines and immune costimulatory antigens. We hypothesize that such an approach will ultimately lead to enhanced immune recognition of tumor and the development of an effective systemic antitumor immune response capable of eradicating primary and metastatic tumor foci.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by ACS Grants IM-742 and EDT-78842; USPHS Grants CA-42908, CA-55322, CA-69253, CA-74543; and the Nat Pincus Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, 19107, Pennsylvania, USA

    Michael J Mastrangelo

  2. Department of Surgery, UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, 08901, New Jersey, USA

    Edmund C Lattime

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Correspondence to Edmund C Lattime.

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Mastrangelo, M., Lattime, E. Virotherapy clinical trials for regional disease: In situ immune modulation using recombinant poxvirus vectors. Cancer Gene Ther 9, 1013–1021 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.cgt.7700538

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