Figure 1.

Benefits and challenges of combining oncolytic virotherapies with cellular therapies

Oncolytic viruses have been shown to modify the imunnosuppressive tumor microenvironment in many different ways that might enhance the efficacy of cellular therapies, including the production of immune cell chemokines to improve tumor trafficking as well as the induction of proinflammatory cytokines. Some effects may inhibit the function of cell therapies, however, such as the induction of immune checkpoint expression, the recruitment of more myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and the production of immunosuppressive cytokines. Depending on the timing of the two therapies, type I interferons produced by the virus can also inhibit adoptively transferred immune cells.