Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews
Volume 21, Issue 2 , Pages 161-167, April 2010

A call to arms: Using RNAi screening to improve oncolytic viral therapy

  • D.J. Mahoney

      Affiliations

    • Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
    • Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
    • ,
  • D.F. Stojdl

      Affiliations

    • Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
    • Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
    • Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada. Tel.: +1 613 738 4179; fax: +1 613 738 4833.

published online 08 March 2010.

Abstract 

Replicating virus-based therapeutics for cancer, or oncolytic virus therapy (OVT), is rapidly emerging as a promising treatment modality for a wide range of cancers. In pre-clinical studies, oncolytic viruses have produced remarkable results in a variety of experimental animal models, and several viruses have entered phase I/II clinical trials. However, OVT is not effective against all tumours, with major treatment bottlenecks being the inability to infect, replicate within, or kill certain cancer cells. Unfortunately, the underlying molecular mechanisms governing these limitations are largely unknown. Recently, RNAi technology has been adapted for systematic interrogation of entire eukaryotic genomes. Since then, several groups have conducted genome-wide RNAi screens to study host/virus interactions. Herein we briefly summarize RNAi screening and its recent application to virology, and propose its use in overcoming key barriers to successful OVT.

Keywords: RNAi, Oncolytic therapy, Functional genomic screening, Host/virus interaction

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PII: S1359-6101(10)00024-9

doi:10.1016/j.cytogfr.2010.02.013

Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews
Volume 21, Issue 2 , Pages 161-167, April 2010

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