An international team of researchers has identified a potential therapeutic strategy for treating glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain tumor, using an avian virus that is not pathogenic to humans. The study, published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, was led by four leading institutions: Vithas Foundation (España), CEU San Pablo University (España), the Brain Tumor Laboratory—supported by the Vithas Foundation and conducting research in collaboration with Francisco de Vitoria University (España)—and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (EE. UU.).
The study demonstrates that the IBDV virus, which causes Gumboro disease in birds, can selectively infect glioblastoma tumor cells, destroy them, and trigger a potent immune response without damaging healthy tissue or causing other problems in the mouse models used. Furthermore, it enhances the effect of standard treatment with temozolomide (TMZ), even in resistant models.
“Oncolytic virotherapy is establishing itself as one of the most innovative approaches to fighting cancer, as it uses viruses capable of selectively eliminating tumor cells and triggering a lasting immune response against the tumor. Its combination with immunotherapy and gene therapies opens the door to more powerful and personalized treatments, tailored to the molecular characteristics of each patient. “In the coming decade, we expect to see how new therapeutic strategies will place viruses at the forefront of cancer treatment, as key components of safer, more selective, and more effective strategies against cancer,” explains Dr. Sara Cuadrado-Castaño, assistant research professor and director of programme Cancer programme in the Department of Microbiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
“This finding represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of glioblastoma. The use of an avian virus, against which humans have no preexisting immunity, allows for more effective and safer treatment,” explains Dr. Ángel Ayuso Sacido, senior author of the study, managing director of the Vithas Foundation, and director of the Brain Tumor Laboratory.
“This study shows that viruses that are not pathogenic in humans can be used not only to destroy tumor cells without harming healthy ones, but also to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and activate the immune system so that it can better recognize the tumor,” says Estanislao Nistal Villán, principal investigator at the Laboratory of Virology and Innate Immunity at CEU San Pablo University.
“The use of IBDV as an immunotherapeutic agent, beyond its ability to directly infect and destroy tumor cells, opens the door to exploring different agents that can be tailored to different tumors in the context of personalized immunotherapy,” says Vicent Tur Planells, first author of the study, a doctoral student at CEINDO at CEU San Pablo University and a predoctoral fellow funded by the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
