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

Oncolytic viruses preferentially infect and kill cancer cells while leaving normal healthy cells intact. These viruses have proven to be a viable form of cancer therapy; however, there are barriers that exist which limit their efficacy as a method of treatment. A major barrier to cancer therapy with oncolytic viruses is the immune system, which is well-trained to eliminate foreign pathogens from the circulation. One strategy to circumvent this problem is to use cells as a delivery vehicle for the oncolytic viruses. These so called carrier cells not only deliver the virus to the tumor site but they also protect the virus from neutralization in the blood-they essentially act as Trojan horses. Recently, our group has begun to explore insect cells as carrier cells for viruses. Preliminary studies have shown that these insect cells can deliver virus to the site of the tumor. My research focuses on identifying ways to target the carrier cells to the tumor more effectively to increase the delivery of the virus. Since oncolytic viruses are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, the findings of the proposed research can have a significant impact on how these cancer fighting viruses will be administered to patients and how well they work. Currently there exists no real solution to the problem of virus neutralization during systemic delivery and insect cells may offer a solution to this problem.