Zika Virus-based Immunotherapy On Glial Tumors
Glioma is the most common primary cancer of the central nervous system, and around 50% of patients present with the most aggressive form of the disease, glioblastoma. The prognosis is extremely poor and the recurrence rate remains high, with a median survival time of 12–15 months. Glioma is a general term used to describe primary brain tumors, and is classified according to their presumed cell of origin. These include astrocytic tumors (astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma), oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas, and mixed gliomas. One of the new promising ways to therapeutically tackle the immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment is the use of engineered viruses that kill tumor cells via direct oncolysis and via stimulation of antitumor immune responses. Oncolytic virotherapy is based on utilizing replicating viruses that can selectively kill the infected cancer cells.