Oncolytic virotherapy improves immunotherapies targeting cancer stemness in glioblastoma

Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2024 Sep;1868(9):130662. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2024.130662. Epub 2024 Jun 18.

Abstract

Despite advances in cancer therapies, glioblastoma (GBM) remains the most resistant and recurrent tumor in the central nervous system. GBM tumor microenvironment (TME) is a highly dynamic landscape consistent with alteration in tumor infiltration cells, playing a critical role in tumor progression and invasion. In addition, glioma stem cells (GSCs) with self-renewal capability promote tumor recurrence and induce therapy resistance, which all have complicated eradication of GBM with existing therapies. Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising field of therapy that can kill tumor cells in a targeted manner. Manipulated oncolytic viruses (OVs) improve cancer immunotherapy by directly lysis tumor cells, infiltrating antitumor cells, inducing immunogenic cell death, and sensitizing immune-resistant TME to an immune-responsive hot state. Importantly, OVs can target stemness-driven GBM progression. In this review, we will discuss how OVs as a therapeutic option target GBM, especially the GSC subpopulation, and induce immunogenicity to remodel the TME, which subsequently enhances immunotherapies' efficiency.

Keywords: CAR-T cell; Drug resistance; Glioblastoma; Glioma stem cells; Immunogenic cell death; Oncolytic viruses.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Neoplasms / immunology
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology
  • Brain Neoplasms / therapy
  • Glioblastoma* / immunology
  • Glioblastoma* / pathology
  • Glioblastoma* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy* / methods
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells* / immunology
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells* / pathology
  • Oncolytic Virotherapy* / methods
  • Oncolytic Viruses / immunology
  • Tumor Microenvironment* / immunology