Melanoma Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Melanoma, including details on identification, causes, prevention, treatment.

In vivo anti-tumour activity of recombinant MVM parvoviral vectors carrying the human interleukin-2 cDNA.

El Bakkouri K, Servais C, Clément N, Cheong SC, Franssen JD, Velu T, Brandenburger A

IBMM-IRIBHM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, rue des professeurs Jeener et Brachet 12, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium.

BACKGROUND: The natural oncotropism and oncotoxicity of vectors derived from the autonomous parvovirus, minute virus of mice (prototype strain) [MVM(p)], combined with the immunotherapeutic properties of cytokine transgenes, make them interesting candidates for cancer gene therapy. METHODS: The in vivo anti-tumour activity of a recombinant parvoviral vector, MVM-IL2, was evaluated in a syngeneic mouse melanoma model that is relatively resistant in vitro to the intrinsic cytotoxicity of wild-type MVM(p). RESULTS: In vitro infection of the K1735 melanoma cells prior to their injection resulted in loss of tumorigenicity in 70% of mice (7/10). Tumour-free mice were protected against a challenge with non-infected parental cells. In addition, MVM-IL2-infected tumour cells induced an anti-tumour activity on parental cells injected at a distant location. These non-infected tumour cells were injected either at the same time or 7 days before the injection of MVM-IL2-infected cells. In the latter setting, which mimics a therapeutic model for small tumours, 4/10 mice were still tumour-free after 4 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that (i) the MVM-IL2 parvoviral vector efficiently transduces tumour cells; and (ii) the low multiplicity of infection (MOI = 1) used in our experiments was sufficient to elicit an anti-tumour effect on distant cells, which supports further studies on this vector as a new tool for cancer gene therapy.

Published 7 March 2005 in J Gene Med, 7(2): 189-97.
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