Wild Type Oncolytic Viruses as a Means for Facilitating Antitumor Immune Response

Oncolytic virotherapy shows promise as an anticancer agent with its field having grown considerably since its birth in the 20th century. Unfortunately, there are still many challenges that face oncolytic viruses (OV) that should be further studied to improve oncolytic viruses' potency. Challenges faced in the field of oncolytic virotherapy are: elucidating the factors in viral oncoselectivity, improving the clinical efficacy of OVs, reducing adverse events from OV treatment. A promising strategy that is currently being researched to improve OV treatment is combining OVs with another cancer therapeutic. A substantial barrier to the treatment of tumors is the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment. Oncolytic viruses have demonstrated the ability to counteract this environment to boost immune response against tumors.