HSV-1 Therapeutic Treatment Effectiveness in Treating Solid Cancer

Release Date: 09-Nov-2020

In treating solid cancers, genetically modified herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) is believed to be delivering safe profiles. In the treatment of the patients suffering from esophageal cancer, the treatment delivered ongoing complete response. All the data that has been generated through the clinical research study points out that anti-CTLA-4 delivered intra-tumorally through oncolytic virus replication can deliver effective anti-tumor effects. The HSV-1 oncolytic used by the researchers is a RP2 enhanced expressing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a fusogenic protein (GALV-GP R-), and an anti-CTLA-4 antibody-like molecule. The researchers were focused towards studying the impact of RP2 alone as well as in combination with Opdivo.

Some of the cancer types that were selected by the researchers for the study were: cutaneous melanoma, uveal melanoma, mucosal melanoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, mucoepidemoid carcinoma and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. The dose levels that were decided for the study were: 105 plaque forming units (PFU)/mL of RP2 followed by 4 doses of 106 PFU/mL; the second dose level consisted of 106 PFU/mL of RP2 followed by 4 doses of 107 PFU/mL. Also, patients were introduced with specific doses of nivolumab for a particular period of time.

Some of the common side effects that were observed by the patients were: pyrexia, fatigue, hypotension, chills, hyperhidrosis, nausea, vomiting and thigh pain. In the enrolled patients, no dose limiting toxicities were observed. It was analyzed by the researchers that RP2 established a safe profile as the doses were well tolerated by the patients. It is estimated that the future outcome of such clinical research study will be responsible for completely transforming the cancer therapeutics market to extreme.