Grant: Project Grant

Oncolytic or "cancer-killing viruses" are a new and exciting class of anti-cancer therapeutic agents not only due to their specific predilection to infect and kill cancer cells but also because these tumour-combating viruses can "wake up" the patient's immune system to fight against the tumour. Virus-based therapies are showing moderate but promising benefits to cancer patients in early clinical trials. Yet resistance due to the unique immune-suppressive biology of tumours is one of the biggest challenges for developing breakthrough therapies against advanced cancers. One of the most active areas of research to overcome such resistance is the use of combinatorial approaches aimed at gaining better anti-tumour responses and enhancing the visibility of cancer cells to the immune system while inducing a potent and selective cancer-killing effect. We recently found and now plan to further characterize that not only can oncolytic viruses specifically target cancer cells, activate anti-tumour immunity, but these cancer-fighting viruses can also express high levels of targeted therapeutic cargoes in the tumour environment. Successful execution of this project will lead to the generation of an "armed" oncolytic virus platform suited not only to kill cancer cells but also to simultaneously and locally deliver targeted therapeutics to boost the immune response against cancer.