Oncolytic viruses are being actively explored as cancer therapies because they preferentially infect tumor cells and cause their lysis. At the same time, the viruses can accommodate transgenes that can stimulate anti-cancer responses in the local tumor microenvironment.
Researchers from the University of Tennessee and collaborating institutions have investigated in preclinical models the use of an oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) armed with the immune-stimulating cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) as a potential treatment for glioblastoma. They published their results in Molecular Therapy: Oncology.
Starlight Therapeutics Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma Inc., announced that the FDA has cleared STAR-001 (LP-184) in combination with spironolactone for patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) at first progression.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor characterized by cellular heterogeneity, therapy-resistant glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), and diffuse infiltration. Researchers at City of Hope have reported on targeting GBM using the CF17 oncolytic virus, delivered either directly or via human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neural progenitor cell (NPC) carriers.
Glioblastoma, one of the most lethal brain cancers, remains a challenge to treat despite advancements in conventional therapies. Oncolytic virus therapy, which can selectively target and kill tumor cells while stimulating the immune system, has shown promise in clinical trials.
Hemispherian AS has received IND clearance for GLIX-1 for the treatment of glioblastoma from the U.S. FDA. GLIX-1 targets DNA repair mechanisms, specifically the enzyme TET2, selectively in tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues.
Malignant gliomas, which include glioblastomas, are the most frequent primary brain cancer and are associated with extremely poor prognosis. They nearly always recur after treatment, rapidly leading to death.
Diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs) are pediatric brain tumors with a very dismal prognosis since less than 5% of patients survive 2 years after diagnosis. Radiotherapy remains the standard treatment for DMG, and several combination chemotherapies and single-agent target therapies are currently being explored.
Glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive primary brain cancer in adults, and patients can expect to live shorter than 2 years, regardless of therapy. The cancer can be treated with CAR T cells, but many patients develop resistance because tumors mutate or delete the antigens recognized by the T cells, while the tumor microenvironment suppresses T-cell activity.
