Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Cancer-targeted virus therapy is a novel therapeutic that has shown significant promise in a variety of human clinical trials. These viruses are unique in that they can target and kill cancer cells specifically, leaving normal cells unharmed. Preliminary data have shown that a new cancer-replicating virus called Orf virus is able to kill cancer cells in tissue culture, and is efficacious in a mouse model of cancer. This virus is unique in that it expresses vascular endothelial growth factor, a growth factor responsible for the recruitment of blood vessels. The natural infection of Orf virus is an isolated wounded area. Therefore the natural environment for Orf virus infection is an isolated regenerative wound with an extensive vasculature, much like a tumour micro-environment. The goal of this project is to further characterize the oncolytic properties of Orf virus and to harness Orf viruses potential to enhance the tumour specificity and cancer killing power of the virus.