Title:Emergence of Ad-Mediated Combination Therapy Against Cancer: What to Expect?
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): JinWoo Hong and Chae-Ok Yun*
Affiliation:
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, 133- 791, Seoul,Korea
Keywords:
Combination therapy, adenovirus, oncolytic adenovirus, chemotherapy, cancer, immunotherapy, radiotherapy.
Abstract: Novel treatment modalities are rapidly advancing toward clinical use as many malignant
cancers still remain incurable. Adenovirus (Ad) in particular has been extensively researched as a
promising alternative to conventional cancer therapy in the past decades. Although Ad has demonstrated
promising therapeutic outcome and cancer specificity in preclinical models, its therapeutic
efficacy in clinical trials is still insufficient due to several drawbacks such as rapid clearance of viral
particles by host immune response, induction of acute inflammatory response, and hepatotoxicity. In
this regard, combination of Ad with other cancer treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy,
or immunotherapy, can be an effective strategy to overcome the limitations of Ad. Cancerspecific
and effective expression of multifunctional therapeutic genes by Ad can enhance the therapeutic
profile of other treatment modalities, making it a logical candidate for combination therapy to
combat malignant tumors.
