Oncolytic virus therapy in immunocompetent mouse models
Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of several cancers, but it is not yet effective against pancreatic cancer. Oncolytic viruses may help by killing cancer cells directly and stimulating the immune system so that other immunotherapies work more effectively.
Researchers used a pancreatic cancer mouse model and treated the animals with an oncolytic reovirus that does not damage healthy tissue. An optimised dose killed tumour cells while activating the immune system. The team mapped the timing of these effects and used the resulting immune response to improve combination treatment.
The findings show that oncolytic viruses are promising partners for other immunotherapies and provide practical information about timing, injection routes and treatment design for future patient studies.