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Virus-inspired strategies for cancer therapy

2021; Elsevier BV; Volume: 86; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.06.021

1096-3650

Xiao Yin, Brett Hill, Trang Hoang, Fei Wen,

Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology

The intentional use of viruses for cancer therapy dates back over a century. As viruses are inherently immunogenic and naturally optimized delivery vehicles, repurposing viruses for drug delivery, tumor antigen presentation, or selective replication in cancer cells represents a simple and elegant approach to cancer treatment. While early virotherapy was fraught with harsh side effects and low response rates, virus-based therapies have recently seen a resurgence due to newfound abilities to engineer and tune oncolytic viruses, virus-like particles, and virus-mimicking nanoparticles for improved safety and efficacy. However, despite their great potential, very few virus-based therapies have made it through clinical trials. In this review, we present an overview of virus-inspired approaches for cancer therapy, discuss engineering strategies to enhance their mechanisms of action, and highlight their application for overcoming the challenges of traditional cancer therapies.