PVSRIPO, A Potential New Tool in Our Fight against GBM

Abstract

GBM is the most common primary malignant brain cancer. Standard of care therapy includes maximum total resection with adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy with temozolomide[1]. GBM inevitably recurs and options to treat recurrent GBM are limited to resection of bulk tumor surgeries, radiation, and experimental targeted therapies. Despite these treatment options the median survival remains poor at 15 months[2]. Given the poor prognosis, new therapies are needed to expand the arsenal of treatment options for GBM. One area of ongoing interest for cancer management is the use of oncolytic viruses as therapeutic modalities[3]. This class of viruses specifically target neoplastic cells and can eliminate them by different mechanisms, including induction of cell death via direct cellular toxicity, induction of tumor autoimmunity, or can be engineered to deliver high doses of chemotherapy[3,4]. In the context of GBM, a number of viruses are being studied for therapeutic development. Many of these include viruses known to target the CNS, such a poliovirus, HSV, measles and adenovirus[3,4]. Of these, PVSRIPO, a modified poliovirus has shown clinical potential in recent clinical trials[5,6].