Oncolytic virotherapy in veterinary medicine: current status and future prospects for canine patients

Abstract

Oncolytic viruses refer to those that are able to eliminate malignancies by direct targeting and lysis of cancer cells, leaving non-cancerous tissues unharmed. Several oncolytic viruses including adenovirus strains, canine distemper virus and vaccinia virus strains have been used for canine cancer therapy in preclinical studies. However, in contrast to human studies, clinical trials with oncolytic viruses for canine cancer patients have not been reported. An 'ideal' virus has yet to be identified. This review is focused on the prospective use of oncolytic viruses in the treatment of canine tumors - a knowledge that will undoubtedly contribute to the development of oncolytic viral agents for canine cancer therapy in the future.

Persistent Morbillivirus Infection Leads to Altered Cortactin Distribution in Histiocytic Sarcoma Cells with Decreased Cellular Migration Capacity

“…Median survival of human patients suffering from histiocytic sarcoma with greatest tumour dimensions of more than 3.5 cm for example is not exceeding 6 months regardless of the therapy [4]. A promising new approach to overcome restricted therapeutic alternatives might be oncolytic virotherapy, based on the ability of several viruses to destroy cancer cells by simultaneous wide protection of non-transformed tissue [9]. For this purpose, members of many different virus families are currently investigated thoroughly in human medicine, resulting in several clinical trials [10].…”

“…However, the field of oncolytic virotherapy is still in its infancy and many questions remain to be asked and answered. Especially the function and mode of action of different viruses still remain largely unknown [9]. The lack of a commercially available human histiocytic sarcoma cell line in contrast to its canine counter-part and the close relationship between measles and canine distemper virus highlight the present study design as a suitable translational model for further research and possible future therapeutic interventions of this devastating disease in humans [6,16].…”

An Overview on Oncolytic Viruses as Cancer Therapy

“…In contrast to the progress of human Oncolytic virotherapy, there are very a few clinical trials using OVs for canine or feline cancer patients [48]. Since many forms of canine or feline neoplasms resemble to their human counterparts in histological appearance, tumor genetics, biologic behavior, pathologic expression, recognized risk factors and response to therapy .so it is reasonable to expect that the human clinical protocols will transfer directly for the treatment of pet cancer patients [35].…”

“…Due to strong similarities between naturally occurring human and pet cancers, Oncolytic virotherapy have been used for canine or feline cancer patients [48].…”

Antigen profiling analysis of vaccinia virus injected canine tumors

“…Oncolytic viruses including various human and canine adenoviruses, canine distemper virus, and vaccinia virus strains have been successfully tested for canine cancer therapy in pre-clinical settings. 7,8 Several vaccinia virus strains such as GLV-1h68, LIVP 1.1.1, LIVP 5.1.1, LIVP 6.1.1, and GLV-1h109 were successful used for treatment of canine cancer in pre-clinical studies. [9][10][11][12] In this work we are looking for a way to quickly determine the effectiveness of viral vaccinia treatment against different types of canine tumors.…”