Description:

Title: Replication-attenuated r3LCMV vectors potentiate tumor control via IFN-I

Topic:  
Viral vectors are being used for the treatment of cancer but their efficacy varies and their use poses challenges in immunosuppressed patients, underscoring the need for alternatives. We report striking antitumoral effects by a nonlytic viral vector based on attenuated lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (r3LCMV). We show in multiple models that injection of tumor-bearing mice with this novel vector results in improved tumor control and survival. Further studies revealed a critical role for host IFN-I in the antitumoral efficacy of r3LCMV vectors. This work demonstrates potent antitumoral effects by a replication-attenuated LCMV vector, highlighting the importance of developing of LCMV-based therapies for cancer while improving the mechanistic understanding of how nonlytic viral vectors modulate tumor immunity.

Speaker: Bakare Awakoaiye, Driscoll Graduate Program, Lab of Pablo Penalopza-MacMaster, PhD

Host: Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology-Immunology