Study Suggests Herpes Virus Can Be Modified to Fight Advanced Melanoma 

Findings from a recent study suggest that the herpes virus can be modified into an effective treatment for some types of advanced melanoma. Conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California’s Keck Medicine of USC, the clinical trial looked into the feasibility of deploying cancer-fighting herpes virus against advanced skin cancers. 

When researchers used a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus and combined it with immunotherapy, they found that the combination could reduce or completely destroy advanced melanoma tumors in 30% of the patients involved in the clinical trial. The clinical trial’s findings indicate that the herpes simplex virus, which is typically tied to oral herpes and affects two-thirds of the world, could be used to serve a greater purpose. 

A paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and presented at the latest American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting by Keck Medicine of USC outlined the results from Phase 1-2 of the IGNYTE clinical trial. 140 advanced melanoma patients who either didn’t respond to immunotherapy or stopped responding to the treatment were recruited for the trial. 

Researchers treated the patients with a mixture of an immunotherapy called nivolumab and genetically modified herpes simplex virus, HSV-1, for the duration of the study period. The research team found that tumors in a third of the participants had shrunk by 30% while almost 1 in 6 patients was completely tumor-free. These findings could open the door to alternative treatments for advanced melanoma patients who haven’t responded to immunotherapy. 

Immunotherapy works by equipping the immune system with the skills it needs to find and destroy cancer cells. It is a lot safer and easier on the body compared to radiation and chemotherapy, which often harm healthy cells and cause several major side effects. Keck Medicine medical oncologist and clinical trial principal investigator Gino Kim In, MD, says their results were quite encouraging. 

Nearly 50% of advanced melanoma patients cannot be treated using immunotherapy, Dr. In explained, and the survival rate for untreated advanced cases is just a couple of years. As such, the study’s findings offer patients who haven’t responded to any cancer treatment new hope. The genetically modified HSV-1 is part of a new group of immunotherapy drugs called oncolytic viruses that destroy tumor cells while simultaneously triggering an anti-tumor response across the entire body. 

With further testing and regulatory approval, this herpes-based oncolytic virus therapy could become a powerful tool in the fight against treatment-resistant cancers. Its success may even pave the way for genetically modified viruses to play a broader role in oncology and immunotherapy in the near future. 

More promising work on oncolytic viruses is being undertaken by enterprises like Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI). The ground is being set for the widespread use of these treatments in combating cancer. 

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