Oncolytic viro-immunotherapy for urological cancers
This study investigated the tumour-killing properties of reoviruses in prostate and bladder cancer. Researchers compared the standard T3D reovirus with Jin-3, an optimised mutant developed at LUMC. They used innovative models based on living pieces of patient tumour tissue to study infection, viral replication, cancer-cell death and activation of the patient’s immune system.
Jin-3 showed particularly useful tumour-killing properties and could support further clinical development. The team also worked with pancreatic cancer researchers to determine whether pancreatic tumour tissue could be grown and tested outside the body in the same way.
A follow-up collaboration between LUMC and Erasmus MC, the Strati-Vir project, started in 2020. It is building a toolbox of oncolytic viruses and studying which virus best matches each tumour and patient. Because tumours and immune systems vary considerably, a reliable prediction system could provide an important basis for future personalised clinical treatments, including treatments for pancreatic cancer.