Targeting the Retinoblastoma/E2F repressive complex by CDK4/6 inhibitors amplifies oncolytic potency of an oncolytic adenovirus

Neither CDK4/6 inhibitors nor oncolytic adenoviruses show high efficiency as monotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Authors show here that when combined, CDK4/6 inhibitors deplete Retinoblastoma protein levels, which leads to more efficient virus replication and an increase in oncolytic virus-producing cancer cells and thus to efficient anti-tumor response in mouse xenograft sarcoma models.