Combination therapy with oncolytic viruses and immune checkpoint inhibitors

M. Chiu(Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust), E Armstrong(Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust), Vicki Jennings(Institute of Cancer Research), Shane Foo(Institute of Cancer Research), Eva Crespo-Rodriguez(Institute of Cancer Research), Galabina Bozhanova(Institute of Cancer Research), Emmanuel C. Patin(Institute of Cancer Research), Martin McLaughlin(Institute of Cancer Research), David Mansfield(Institute of Cancer Research), Gabriella Baker(Institute of Cancer Research), Lorna Grove(Institute of Cancer Research), Malin Pedersen(Institute of Cancer Research), Joan Kyula(Institute of Cancer Research), Victoria Roulstone(Institute of Cancer Research), Anna Wilkins(The Francis Crick Institute), Fiona McDonald(Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust), Kevin J. Harrington(Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust), Alan Melcher(Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust)
Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy
February 18, 2020
10.1080/14712598.2020.1729351
Cited by 66

Abstract

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have dramatically improved the outcome for cancer patients across multiple tumor types. However the response rates to ICI monotherapy remain relatively low, in part due to some tumors cultivating an inherently ‘cold’ immune microenvironment. Oncolytic viruses (OV) have the capability to promote a ‘hotter’ immune microenvironment which can improve the efficacy of ICI.Areas covered: In this article we conducted a literature search through Pubmed/Medline to identify relevant articles in both the pre-clinical and clinical settings for combining OVs with ICIs and discuss the impact of this approach on treatment as well as changes within the tumor microenvironment. We also explore the future directions of this novel combination strategy.Expert opinion: The imminent results of the Phase 3 study combining pembrolizumab with or without T-Vec injection are eagerly awaited. OV/ICI combinations remain one of the most promising avenues to explore in the success of cancer immunotherapy.

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