Figure 1.

The dual anti-tumor mechanism of action of T-VEC. Initially, T-VEC infects tumor cells and replicates intracellularly, causing cell lysis and the release of TDAs. In addition to the local inflammation, the genetically-induced production of GM-CSF attracts and activates dendritic cells, which uptake the TDAs and activate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, initiating a systemic anti-tumor response. T-VEC = Talimogene laherparepvec; TDAs = tumor-derived antigens; GM-CSF = granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.