1. Effect of Serial Systemic and Intratumoral Injections of Oncolytic ZIKV BR in Mice Bearing Embryonal CNS Tumors.
- Author
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Ferreira RO, Granha I, Ferreira RS, Bueno HS, Okamoto OK, Kaid C, and Zatz M
- Subjects
- Animals, Brain virology, Brain Neoplasms pathology, Cell Line, Central Nervous System drug effects, Coculture Techniques, Disease Models, Animal, Humans, Immunotherapy methods, Injections, Intralesional methods, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Models, Biological, Oncolytic Viruses metabolism, Organoids, Zika Virus immunology, Zika Virus Infection virology, Brain Neoplasms therapy, Oncolytic Virotherapy methods, Zika Virus metabolism
- Abstract
The Zika virus (ZIKV) has shown a promising oncolytic effect against embryonal CNS tumors. However, studies on the effect of different administration routes and the ideal viral load in preclinical models are highly relevant aiming for treatment safety and efficiency. Here, we investigated the effect and effectiveness of different routes of administration, and the number of ZIKV
BR injections on tumor tropism, destruction, and side effects. Furthermore, we designed an early-stage human brain organoid co-cultured with embryonal CNS tumors to analyze the ZIKVBR oncolytic effect. We showed that in the mice bearing subcutaneous tumors, the ZIKVBR systemically presented a tropism to the brain. When the tumor was located in the mice's brain, serial systemic injections presented efficient tumor destruction, with no neurological or other organ injury and increased mice survival. In the human cerebral organoid model co-cultured with embryonal CNS tumor cells, ZIKVBR impaired tumor progression. The gene expression of cytokines and chemokines in both models suggested an enhancement of immune cells recruitment and tumor inflammation after the treatment. These results open new perspectives for virotherapy using the ZIKVBR systemic administration route and multiple doses of low virus load for safe and effective treatment of embryonal CNS tumors, an orphan disease that urges new effective therapies.- Published
- 2021
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