Checkpoint Inhibitors with Oncolytic Virus Therapy

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• The oncolytic viruses (OV) can promote hotter immune microenvironment that enhances the efficacy of ICI. Some cancer can shield them through activating these checkpoints targets. Checkpoint therapy can block these inhibitory checkpoints and restore the immune system function. Ipilimumab, a CTLA4 blocker was the first checkpoint inhibitor which was approved by the U.S. FDA in 2011 for the treatment of melanoma.
•   Oncolytic viruses induce immune responses that, upon infecting tumour cells, induce apoptosis or express the transgenes that, when presented or released by tumor cells, attract immune cells.
• The transgenes could be the critical epitopes that attract immune cells, immune-stimulatory blockers of immune checkpoints, or essential genes from nonhuman species that have anti-tumour effects.
• The goal of combining Oncolytic viruses and checkpoint inhibitors is to use the viral infection to prime the tumor by altering the local immune microenvironment to one that is more immunogenic, with the understanding that immune checkpoint inhibitors work best in these hot environments.