Modified form of Poliovirus shows promise as cancer vaccine

"Polioviruses have several advantages for generating antigen-specific CD8 T-cells as a potential cancer vaccine vector," said senior author Matthias Gromeier, M.D., who developed the poliovirus-based therapy as a member of Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

"They have naturally evolved to have a relationship with the human immune system, activating dendritic cells, inducing CD8 T-cell immunity and eliciting inflammation. As a result, they lack interference with innate or adaptive immunity."

Gromeier said the vaccine approach continues to be tested with the goal of initiating a phase 1 clinical trial.

"We are hopeful that this approach could be tested as a potential therapy for DMG tumors, which exact a terrible burden on children and their families," Gromeier said.

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Mosaheb, M.M., Dobrikova, E.Y., Brown, M.C. et al. Genetically stable poliovirus vectors activate dendritic cells and prime antitumor CD8 T cell immunity. Nat Commun 11, 524 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13939-z