Two is better than one: Complementing oncolytic virotherapy with gemcitabine to potentiate antitumor immune responses

Shashi A Gujar; Derek Clements; Patrick Wk Lee

doi:10.4161/onci.27622

Two is better than one: Complementing oncolytic virotherapy with gemcitabine to potentiate antitumor immune responses

Oncoimmunology. 2014 Jan 1;3(1):e27622. doi: 10.4161/onci.27622. Epub 2014 Jan 6.

Authors

Shashi A Gujar¹, Derek Clements², Patrick Wk Lee³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Dalhousie University; Halifax, NS Canada ; Strategy & Organizational Performance; IWK Health Centre; Halifax, NS Canada.
² Department of Pathology; Dalhousie University; Halifax, NS Canada.
³ Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Dalhousie University; Halifax, NS Canada ; Department of Pathology; Dalhousie University; Halifax, NS Canada.

Abstract

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) preferentially infect and kill cancer cells. Additionally, OV-induced immune responses subvert cancer-associated immunosuppression and promote antitumor immunity. We have recently demonstrated that the complementation of oncolytic virotherapy with gemcitabine accentuates its immunostimulatory effects, hence exerting superior antineoplastic activity.

Keywords: MDSCs; antitumor immunity; gemcitabine; immune evasion; oncolytic virus; reovirus; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't