Abstract
The alphaviruses Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and Sindbis virus have recently been developed as prototype anti-cancer agents. These are RNA-containing enveloped viruses that code for only 9 proteins of unique sequence. The standard recombinant SFV vector system consists of suicide particles containing recombinant RNA. In addition, alphavirus vectors capable of limited multiplication in the host are also being developed. Several strategies are being adopted to construct prototype SFV vectors for cancer treatment. These include: 1) construction of both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to stimulate immunity to tumorassociated antigens, 2) use of apoptosis induction to destroy tumor cells, which includes both the use of the inherent apoptosis-inducing ability of the vector and the action of pro-apoptotic genes cloned into the vector, and 3) expression of cytokines and other immunoregulatory proteins by the vector that enhance anti-tumor immune responses and / or inhibit tumor cell growth. This includes the use of cytokines such as IL-12 that target angiogenesis. Sindbis virus appears to have a natural tropism for tumor cells that may allow targeting both of the wild-type virus and the vector. This approach may also be useful for targeting metastases. For SFV, neurovirulence and / or neurotropism, as well as other tissue damage, may preclude the use of unmodified replication competent wild-type virus in tumor treatment. However, it may be possible to use such a virus in animals that have been vaccinated, using a vector-derived vaccine.
Keywords: Alphaviruses, neurotropism, pro-apoptotic genes
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title: Alphaviruses and their Derived Vectors as Anti-Tumor Agents
Volume: 4 Issue: 7
Author(s): Gregory J. Atkins, James W. P. Smyth, Marina N. Fleeton, Sareen E. Galbraith and Brian J. Sheahan
Affiliation:
Keywords: Alphaviruses, neurotropism, pro-apoptotic genes
Abstract: The alphaviruses Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and Sindbis virus have recently been developed as prototype anti-cancer agents. These are RNA-containing enveloped viruses that code for only 9 proteins of unique sequence. The standard recombinant SFV vector system consists of suicide particles containing recombinant RNA. In addition, alphavirus vectors capable of limited multiplication in the host are also being developed. Several strategies are being adopted to construct prototype SFV vectors for cancer treatment. These include: 1) construction of both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to stimulate immunity to tumorassociated antigens, 2) use of apoptosis induction to destroy tumor cells, which includes both the use of the inherent apoptosis-inducing ability of the vector and the action of pro-apoptotic genes cloned into the vector, and 3) expression of cytokines and other immunoregulatory proteins by the vector that enhance anti-tumor immune responses and / or inhibit tumor cell growth. This includes the use of cytokines such as IL-12 that target angiogenesis. Sindbis virus appears to have a natural tropism for tumor cells that may allow targeting both of the wild-type virus and the vector. This approach may also be useful for targeting metastases. For SFV, neurovirulence and / or neurotropism, as well as other tissue damage, may preclude the use of unmodified replication competent wild-type virus in tumor treatment. However, it may be possible to use such a virus in animals that have been vaccinated, using a vector-derived vaccine.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Atkins J. Gregory, Smyth W. P. James, Fleeton N. Marina, Galbraith E. Sareen and Sheahan J. Brian, Alphaviruses and their Derived Vectors as Anti-Tumor Agents, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2004; 4 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009043332754
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009043332754 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1): A Potential Target for Intervention in Ocular Neovascular Diseases
Current Drug Targets Electrochemotherapy as First Line Cancer Treatment: Experiences from Veterinary Medicine in Developing Novel Protocols
Current Cancer Drug Targets Identification and Usage of Fluorescent Probes as Nanoparticle Contrast Agents in Detecting Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Recent Advances in Physical Delivery Enhancement of Topical Drugs
Current Pharmaceutical Design Patent Selections:
Current Biomarkers (Discontinued) Pathobiology of Head and Neck Squamous Tumorigenesis
Current Cancer Drug Targets Poly (Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid) & Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol Succinate Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Different Brain Cancers
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry NMR-based Drug Development and Improvement Against Malignant Melanoma – Implications for the MIA Protein Family
Current Medicinal Chemistry Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway Components as Therapeutic Targets for CNS Maladies
Current Pharmaceutical Design Cervical Cancer Metastasis and Recurrence Risk Prediction Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Current Bioinformatics The Synthesis, Structure and Activity Evaluation of Secnidazole Derivatives as Helicobacter pylori Urease Inhibitors
Current Bioactive Compounds Clonetics
Current Drug Metabolism Application of Baculovirus-Insect Cell Expression System for Human Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Metformin Protects the Brain Against the Oxidative Imbalance Promoted by Type 2 Diabetes
Medicinal Chemistry E2F1 and NF-κB: Key Mediators of Inflammation-associated Cancers and Potential Therapeutic Targets
Current Cancer Drug Targets The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) and the Mechanism of Action of Bortezomib
Current Pharmaceutical Design Potential Non-coding RNAs from Microorganisms and their Therapeutic Use in the Treatment of Different Human Cancers
Current Gene Therapy <I>In-silico</I> Molecular Interaction of Short Synthetic Lipopeptide/Importin-alpha and <I>In-vitro</I> Evaluation of Transgene Expression Mediated by Liposome- Based Gene Carrier
Current Gene Therapy Activities of Venom Proteins and Peptides with Possible Therapeutic Applications from Bees and WASPS
Protein & Peptide Letters Advances in Clinical Study of Curcumin
Current Pharmaceutical Design