Advances in Oncolytic Virotherapy for Brain Tumors

Lessons from the history of cancer therapy inform that a multimodal approach offers the best potential to eradicate the tumor mass and prevent the recurrence after therapy. One of the most promising experimental therapies for cancer is the use of oncolytic adenoviruses as therapeutic agents. These biologic agents exert their function by directly infecting and killing tumor cells. The new progeny generated after the first infection round will spread, generating a therapeutic wave that will optimally eliminate every cancer cell. Recently, modifications in the virus genome have allowed for the designing of viruses that infect with more potency than wild-type adenoviruses, replicate exclusively in tumor cells, selectively target cellular receptors or molecular defects in the cancer cells, and deliver prodrug genes. In addition, these last-generation viruses can be combined with chemotherapy and other forms of cancer therapies to enhance the tumor killing capability. With the steady and fast pace of the progress in our knowledge of the genetics of tumors, we may soon fulfill our hope of reaching the final objective of an adenovirus-based personalized medicine for cancer.