Title:Stem Cells and Tumor-Killing Virus to Target Brain Tumor: In Pursuit to
Bring a Potential Delivery Vehicle for the Central Nervous System Tumors
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Author(s): Vignesh Balaji E. and K. Sreedhara Ranganath Pai*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education,
Manipal, 576104, Karnataka, India
Keywords:
Brain tumor, oncolytic virotherapy, stem cells, novel delivery vehicle, host immune system, glioblastoma.
Abstract: To target brain cancer, various therapeutic options are present to fight against cancer cells.
But the existing therapies are not showing a proper curation of cancer patients. Henceforth, activating
the immune cells and targeting oncogenes/proteins might be an emerging therapeutic approach to target
and destroy malignant brain tumor. Stem cells (SCs) are considered potential immunomodulators that
trigger the highly suppressed immune system in the tumor microenvironment. Also, engineered SCs can
repress the aberrantly expressed oncoproteins that cause tumor cell proliferation and growth. SCs have
an excellent migration capability to reach the infected site and support the regeneration of damaged
blood vessels and tissues. Likewise, oncolytic virotherapy (OVT) is a promising novel therapeutic molecule
in which genetically modified viruses can selectively replicate and destroy cancer cells without
harming healthy cells. Same as SCs, oncolytic viruses (OVs) tend to stimulate the host's innate and
adaptive immune response to battle against the advanced brain tumor. In clinical studies, various OVs
have shown good immunogenic responses with a high safety profile and tolerability against cancer patients
with reduced morbidity and mortality rate. SCs act as an attractive cargo for OVs which helps to
influence the tumor site and destroy the tumor volume. SCs protect the OVs from systemic degradation
and promote therapeutic efficacy against cancer cells. SCs carried OVs might be a potential therapeutic
way to bring an effective treatment option for brain tumors.