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Oncolytic viral therapy is a promising novel approach to cancer treatment. Oncolytic viruses cause tumor regression through direct cytolysis on the one hand and recruiting and activating immune cells on the other. In this study, to enhance the antitumor efficacy of the thymidine kinase-deficient vaccinia virus (VV, Lister strain), recombinant variants encoding bacterial flagellin (subunit B) of Vibrio vulnificus (LIVP-FlaB-RFP), firefly luciferase (LIVP-Fluc-RFP) or red fluorescent protein (LIVP-RFP) were developed. The LIVP-FLuc-RFP strain demonstrated exceptional onco-specificity in tumor-bearing mice, detected by the in vivo imaging system (IVIS). The antitumor efficacy of these variants was explored in syngeneic murine tumor models (B16 melanoma, CT26 colon cancer and 4T1 breast cancer). After intravenous treatment with LIVP-FlaB-RFP or LIVP-RFP, all mice tumor models exhibited tumor regression, with a prolonged survival rate in comparison with the control mice. However, superior oncolytic activity was observed in the B16 melanoma models treated with LIVP-FlaB-RFP. Tumor-infiltrated lymphocytes and the cytokine analysis of the serum and tumor samples from the melanoma-xenografted mice treated with these virus variants demonstrated activation of the host's immune response. Thus, the expression of bacterial flagellin by VV can enhance its oncolytic efficacy against immunosuppressive solid tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of malignant brain tumor. Standard treatment protocols and traditional immunotherapy are poorly effective as they do not significantly increase the long-term survival of glioblastoma patients. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) may be an effective alternative approach. Combining OVs with some modern treatment options may also provide significant benefits for glioblastoma patients. Here we review virotherapy for glioblastomas and describe several OVs and their combination with other therapies. The personalized use of OVs and their combination with other treatment options would become a significant area of research aiming to develop the most effective treatment regimens for glioblastomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]