Gene and viral therapy for glioblastoma multiforme

In this issue of Neurosurgical Focus, the reviews and papers present state-of-the-art preclinical and clinical experiences utilizing viral vector–mediated gene therapies and oncolytic viruses for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). Over the past 3 decades, this field has evolved from experimentation in vitro and in mouse models of GBM to multiple clinical trials, several of which have been advanced to phase 2 and 3 studies. In general, progress in the field has been spurred on by FDA approval of one oncolytic virus (Imlygic, Amgen) for melanoma in 2015 and several viral vector–mediated gene therapies for neurologic, hematologic, and ophthalmologic disease. Current vaccines against coronavirus utilize gene therapy approaches as well. Therefore, the promise that this science can also be harnessed as a treatment for GBM remains alive but not yet fully realized.