Grant: CIHR - ICR / Cancer Research Society Partnership - Research Grants

Could ingesting a virus help clear malignant cells in the digestive tract? Could this virus prevent cancer progression in the colon? Or could the virus be used to diagnose colon tumours in the form of polyps? We believe that the gastroenteric virus Reovirus can do all that. REOvirus (Respiratory Enteric Orphan) was originally isolated from the respiratory and enteric tract of humans, but is classified as an orphan virus because it is associated with any known disease. The natural cycle of Reovirus is to spread through the oral-fecal route of mammals; this is how this virus has evolved for perhaps millions of years. Reovirus has been shown to preferentially replicate in and destroy cancer cells with high efficiency (a process called oncolysis). There have been numerous clinical trials using Reovirus injected intravenously or within tumors to test its ability to eradicate cancer. While colon cancer cells are known to be very sensitive to Reovirus oncolysis, most surprisingly the oral administration route of oncolytic Reovirus has never been investigated. We propose that ingesting Reoviruses can be used as a treatment or preventive measure for colorectal cancer. Furthermore, we will modify the virus to expose colon cancer antigens to improve its potential to stimulate the immune system to eradicate the cancer cells. We will also the potential to of Reoviruses to be used as a diagnostic tool by measuring the levels of Reoviruses in feces in models of advanced colon cancer.