Abstract
Importance of the field: Advanced melanoma is a devastating disease with a five year survival for Stage IV disease of 10 20% and a median survival of 6 18 months depending on sub-stage. Current FDA approved therapies demonstrate limited response rates, few complete remissions and no proven survival benefit. New therapies are clearly needed. JSI/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF is a herpes simplex virus-1 (OncoVEXGM-CSF) oncolytic vaccine therapy designed to induce local and systemic anti-tumor immune responses. Areas covered in this review: Evolution of current herpes simplex virus oncolytic vaccines from preclinical to clinical studies from 1994 to 2010. What the reader will gain: Preclinical studies have shown that herpes simplex virus-1 oncolytic vaccines generate local tumor destruction through the lytic action of the virus and local and systemic immune responses. Phase I studies demonstrated limited toxicities with no neurotoxicty. Phase II studies demonstrated durable regressions in patients with metastatic melanoma. A Phase III trial in melanoma is ongoing to determine clinical effectiveness, and a Phase III trial in head and neck cancer will initiate during 2010. Take home message: JSI/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF is a new generation herpes simplex virus-1 oncolytic vaccine that demonstrates direct tumor lysis and systemic immune responses. Early clinical studies have yielded preliminary evidence of activity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1145-1153 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Expert opinion on biological therapy |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Herpes simplex virus 1
- Immunotherapy
- Melanoma
- Oncolytic vaccine
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
- Clinical Biochemistry