Amalgamating oncolytic viruses to enhance their safety, consolidate their killing mechanisms, and accelerate their spread

Mol Ther. 2013 Oct;21(10):1930-7. doi: 10.1038/mt.2013.164. Epub 2013 Jul 11.

Abstract

Oncolytic viruses are structurally and biologically diverse, spreading through tumors and killing them by various mechanisms and with different kinetics. Here, we created a hybrid vesicular stomatitis/measles virus (VSV/MV) that harnesses the safety of oncolytic MV, the speed of VSV, and the tumor killing mechanisms of both viruses. Oncolytic MV targets CD46 and kills by forcing infected cells to fuse with uninfected neighbors, but propagates slowly. VSV spreads rapidly, directly lysing tumor cells, but is neurotoxic and loses oncolytic potency when neuroattenuated by conventional approaches. The hybrid VSV/MV lacks neurotoxicity, replicates rapidly with VSV kinetics, and selectively targets CD46 on tumor cells. Its in vivo performance in a myeloma xenograft model was substantially superior to either MV or widely used recombinant oncolytic VSV-M51.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / pathology
  • Brain / virology
  • CHO Cells
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Cricetulus
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Genetic Engineering*
  • Humans
  • Measles virus / genetics
  • Measles virus / physiology*
  • Membrane Cofactor Protein / drug effects*
  • Mice
  • Mice, SCID
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Multiple Myeloma / pathology
  • Multiple Myeloma / therapy*
  • Neurons / pathology
  • Neurons / virology
  • Oncolytic Virotherapy*
  • Oncolytic Viruses / genetics
  • Oncolytic Viruses / physiology*
  • Vero Cells
  • Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / genetics
  • Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / physiology*
  • Virus Replication
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Membrane Cofactor Protein