Development of a Precision Virotherapy for Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common form of brain cancer in adults, with around 16,000 cases diagnosed annually in the UK. GBM has an appalling prognosis, with only ~12% of those diagnosed with the disease surviving 5 years. Current treatments for GBM are limited to surgery, where possible, together with chemotherapy. Together, these treatments extend average survival from ~5 months to ~18 months. GBM remains a cancer of significant unmet clinical need.

In this project, we will evaluate an exciting new therapy for GBM. This new therapy is a "smart virus”, engineered to only infect GBM cells using a marker that is abundant on cancer cells. Healthy cells are not infected. Working with leaders in brain cancers and brain surgery, we will investigate the potential of this “smart virus” to treat GBM using patient samples direct from the clinic. We will further engineer this “smart virus” so that, upon infecting GBM cells, it forces infected cancer cells to produce anti-cancer medicines that stimulate the immune system to better recognise and kill cancerous cells. This study will be important in defining a pathway towards clinical translation of a powerful new therapy for GBM.