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Review


Nature Medicine 7, 781 - 787 (2001)
doi:10.1038/89901

Replication-selective virotherapy for cancer: Biological principles, risk management and future directions

David Kirn1,4, Robert L. Martuza2 & James Zwiebel3


In the search for novel cancer therapies that can be used in conjunction with existing treatments, one promising area of research is the use of viral vectors and whole viruses. This review describes the underlying biological principles and current status of the field, outlines approaches for improving clinical effectiveness and discusses the unique safety and regulatory issues surrounding viral therapies.