Phase I Trial of an ICAM-1-Targeted Immunotherapeutic-Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) as an Oncolytic Agent Against Non Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Purpose: The CANON [VATAK in -muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)] study evaluated a novel ICAM-1-targeted immunotherapeutic-coxsackievirus A21 as a novel oncolytic agent against bladder cancer.

Patients And Methods: Fifteen patients enrolled in this "window of opportunity" phase I study, exposing primary bladder cancers to CAVATAK prior to surgery. The first 9 patients received intravesical administration of monotherapy CAVATAK; in the second stage, 6 patients received CAVATAK with a subtherapeutic dose of mitomycin C, known to enhance expression of ICAM-1 on bladder cancer cells.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells orchestrate innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity induced by oncolytic coxsackievirus A21.

Background: The oncolytic virus, coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), has shown promise as a single agent in several clinical trials and is now being tested in combination with immune checkpoint blockade. Combination therapies offer the best chance of disease control; however, the design of successful combination strategies requires a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underpinning CVA21 efficacy, in particular, the role of CVA21 anti-tumor immunity. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the ability of CVA21 to induce human anti-tumor immunity, and identify the cellular mechanism responsible.

Oncolytic Immunotherapy for Bladder Cancer Using Coxsackie A21 Virus.

As a clinical setting in which local live biological therapy is already well established, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) presents intriguing opportunities for oncolytic virotherapy. Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) is a novel intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)-targeted immunotherapeutic virus. This study investigated CVA21-induced cytotoxicity in a panel of human bladder cancer cell lines, revealing a range of sensitivities largely correlating with expression of the viral receptor ICAM-1.

Oncolysis of malignant human melanoma tumors by Coxsackieviruses A13, A15 and A18.

Many RNA viruses are displaying great promise in the field of oncolytic virotherapy. Previously, we reported that the picornavirus Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) possessed potent oncolytic activity against cultured malignant melanoma cells and melanoma xenografts in mice. In the present study, we demonstrate that three additional Group A Coxsackieviruses; Coxsackievirus A13 (CVA13), Coxsackievirus A15 (CVA15) and Coxsackievirus A18 (CVA18), also have similar oncolytic activity against malignant melanoma.

Enhanced oncolysis mediated by Coxsackievirus A21 in combination with doxorubicin hydrochloride.

Virotherapy is an emerging strategy for the treatment of cancer that utilizes both replication-competent and genetically modified viruses to selectively kill tumor cells. We have previously shown that Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), a common-cold producing enterovirus, is an effective oncolytic agent against human melanoma, prostate, and breast cancer xenografts in vivo. CVA21 specifically targets and lytically infects susceptible cells expressing the CVA21 cellular receptors, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and decay-accelerating factor (DAF).

Persistence of rhinovirus RNA and IP-10 gene expression after acute asthma.

Background And Objective: Viral nucleic acid may be detected for up to 6 months after an acute asthma deterioration, but the pattern and consequences of viral persistence after acute asthma are incompletely understood. This study investigates the frequency of viral persistence after acute asthma, assesses viral infectivity and determines the host inflammatory responses to viral persistence.

Methods: Adults and children presenting to hospital with acute asthma and a confirmed respiratory virus infection were studied acutely and at recovery 4-6 weeks later by clinical evaluation and induced sputum for viral and inflammatory mediator detection.

Regional administration of oncolytic Echovirus 1 as a novel therapy for the peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer.

The dissemination of malignant gastric cells to the peritoneum occurs frequently, usually as an early event in disease, and results in poor patient prognosis. Surgery and chemotherapy offer limited therapeutic success. The low-pathogenic human enterovirus, Echovirus 1 (EV1), is an oncolytic virus that selectively targets and destroys malignant prostate and ovarian cancer xenografts in vivo.

Validity of the common cold questionnaire (CCQ) in asthma exacerbations.

Background: The common cold questionnaire (CCQ) is used to discriminate those with and without a viral infection. Its usefulness in people with acute asthma is unknown. Our aim was to assess the ability of the CCQ to detect viral infection and to monitor recovery during a viral induced asthma exacerbation and confirmed by virological testing.

Potent oncolytic activity of human enteroviruses against human prostate cancer.

Background: Oncolytic virotherapy offers a unique treatment modality for prostate cancer, especially stages that are resistant to current therapies, with the additional benefit of preferentially targeting tumor cells amongst an environment of healthy tissue. Herein, the low pathogenic enteroviruses; Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), as well as a bio-selected variant of Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21-DAFv) and Echovirus 1 (EV1) are evaluated as novel oncolytic agents against human prostate cancer.

Methods: The surface expression of viral receptors required for enterovirus cell attachment/entry, including intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and integrin alpha(2)beta(1) on a number of human prostate cancer lines was assessed by flow cytometry.

Systemic targeting of metastatic human breast tumor xenografts by Coxsackievirus A21.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in women worldwide. Metastatic development is associated with poor prognosis and current therapies provide only limited success. Virotherapy is an emerging strategy for the treatment of cancer that utilizes both replication-competent and genetically modified viruses to selectively kill tumor cells.

Oncolytic Coxsackievirus A21 as a novel therapy for multiple myeloma.

Oncolytic viruses are attractive biological agents for the control of human malignancy. This study assessed the capacity of Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) to target and destroy multiple myeloma (MM) and precursor aberrant plasma cells in vitro using established MM cell lines and 15 patient bone marrow (BM) biopsies [n = 10 MM and five monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)]. Cell surface analysis revealed that all tumour cells lines expressed high levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and decay-accelerating factor (DAF), the receptor molecules to which CVA21 can bind, leading to subsequent cell-entry and infection.

Persistent airway obstruction after virus infection is not associated with airway inflammation.

Background: This study examined the contribution of airway inflammation to the delayed lung function recovery that occurs in some people following virus-induced asthma exacerbations.

Methods: Subjects (n = 40) were recruited at hospital admission for acute asthma exacerbation. Respiratory virus infection was diagnosed by viral nucleic acid detection and/or cell culture, using induced sputum, nasal, or throat swabs.

Interleukin-10 gene expression in acute virus-induced asthma.

Rationale: Virus-induced asthma is characterized by marked neutrophil influx and eosinophil degranulation, suggesting a mode of immunopathogenesis different from that of allergen-induced asthma.

Objectives: This study compared induced sputum cytokine responses in subjects with severe asthma exacerbation and respiratory virus infection with those of patients with stable asthma, healthy control subjects, and virus-infected nonasthmatic subjects.

Methods: Subject infection status and pulmonary history were established on the basis of common cold and asthma questionnaires, and lung function and atopy tests were performed.

Oncolysis of vascular malignant human melanoma tumors by Coxsackievirus A21.

Cultured melanoma cell lines despite exhibiting similar in vitro morphology, display significant phenotypic and growth rate differences when propagated as in vivo xenografts. Previously we have shown that Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) lytically infects in vitro cultures of malignant melanoma cells and is efficient at reducing the tumor burden of mice bearing slow-growing SK-Mel-28 melanoma xenografts. The oncolytic activity of CVA21 against in vivo melanoma xenografts, which possess rapid growth rates and more extensive vascular structure than SK-Mel-28 xenografts warrants further investigation.

Oncolysis of human ovarian cancers by echovirus type 1.

A small number of enteroviruses possess the capacity to induce rapid and marked lytic infections in cells of various human malignancies. During screening of representative human enteroviruses for their oncolytic capacity, we observed that echovirus type 1 (EV1) displayed a high level of tropism for human ovarian cancer cells. EV1 is an enterovirus which largely causes asymptomatic infections in humans and whose tissue tropism is primarily regulated via interactions with the I domain of the alpha subunit of cell surface-expressed integrin alpha2beta1.

Novel role for decay-accelerating factor in coxsackievirus A21-mediated cell infectivity.

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is involved in the cell membrane attachment of many human enteroviruses. Presently, further specific active roles of DAF in mediating productive cell infection and in the pathogenesis of natural enterovirus infection are poorly understood. In an attempt to more fully understand the role of DAF in lytic cell infection we examined the specific interactions of the prototype strain of coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) with surface-expressed DAF.

Enhanced cellular receptor usage by a bioselected variant of coxsackievirus a21.

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) functions as cell attachment receptor for a wide range of human enteroviruses. The Kuykendall prototype strain of coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) attaches to DAF but requires interactions with intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) to infect cells. We show here that a bioselected variant of CVA21 (CVA21-DAFv) generated by multiple passages in DAF-expressing, ICAM-1-negative rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells acquired the capacity to induce rapid and complete lysis of ICAM-1-deficient cells while retaining the capacity to bind ICAM-1.

Cell culture propagation and biochemical analysis of the Ljungan virus prototype strain.

Ljungan virus (LV) is proposed as a potentially important rodent harbored viral human pathogen. Little is known about the biophysical nature of the virus and despite being molecularly characterized, progress in epidemiological and basic biological studies of LV has been hampered by the lack of a robust and reliable cell culture propagation system. Here we report the first description of an efficient lytic multi-cycle cell culture propagation of the LV prototype strain (87-012).

Systemic therapy of malignant human melanoma tumors by a common cold-producing enterovirus, coxsackievirus a21.

Purpose: The incidence of malignant melanoma continues to increase worldwide; however, treatment of metastatic melanoma remains unsatisfactory, and there is an urgent need for development of effective targeted therapeutics. A potential biological target on the surface of malignant melanoma cells is the up-regulated expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and decay-accelerating factor (DAF), relative to surrounding benign tissue. Coxsackievirus A21 (a common cold virus) targets and destroys susceptible cells via specific viral capsid interactions with surface-expressed virus receptors comprising ICAM-1 and DAF.

Enterovirus capsid interactions with decay-accelerating factor mediate lytic cell infection.

The cellular receptor usage of numerous human enteroviruses can differ significantly between low-cell-culture-passaged clinical isolates and highly laboratory-passaged prototype strains. The prototype strain of coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) displays a dual-receptor specificity as determined with a receptor complex consisting of decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1). In this study, the cellular receptor interactions of low-cell-passage CVA21 clinical isolates with respect to their interactions with cell surface-expressed DAF and ICAM-1 were compared to those of the CVA21 prototype (Kuykendall) strain.

Cellular receptor interactions of C-cluster human group A coxsackieviruses.

The cellular receptor complex of coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), a C-cluster human enterovirus, is formed by the subtle interaction of individual cellular receptors, decay accelerating factor (DAF) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). In this receptor complex, DAF functions in the membrane sequestration of the virus, while the role of ICAM-1 is as the functional cellular internalization receptor. However, despite the elucidation of the CVA21-cell receptor interactions, there have been few definite investigations into cellular receptor usage of other coxsackie A viruses (CVAs) belonging to the C-cluster.

Molecular characterization of M1146, an American isolate of Ljungan virus (LV) reveals the presence of a new LV genotype.

Ljungan virus (LV) is a suspected human pathogen recently isolated from bank voles in Sweden. This study describes the genetic characterization of a virus, M1146, which was isolated in 1962 from another vole species (Microtus montanus), trapped in Oregon, USA. Based on antigenic properties, M1146 was postulated previously as a putative member of the family PICORNAVIRIDAE: The near complete genomic sequence verifies that M1146 is a member of the Picornaviridae, most closely related to LVs isolated in Sweden.

The integrins alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta1 physically and functionally associate with CD36 in human melanoma cells. Requirement for the extracellular domain OF CD36.

Lateral association between different transmembrane glycoproteins can serve to modulate integrin function. Here we characterize a physical association between the integrins alpha(3)beta(1) and alpha(6)beta(1) and CD36 on the surface of melanoma cells and show that ectopic expression of CD36 by CD36-negative MV3 melanoma cells increases their haptotactic migration on extracellular matrix components. The association was demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation, reimmunoprecipitation, and immunoblotting of surface-labeled cells lysed in Brij 96 detergent.

Cytoplasmic interactions between decay-accelerating factor and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 are not required for coxsackievirus A21 cell infection.

Coxsackievirus A21 (CAV-21) employs a cell receptor complex of decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) for cell infectivity. In this study, the nature of potential extra- and/or intracellular interactions between DAF and ICAM-1 involved in picornaviral cell entry was investigated. Firstly, it was shown that intracellular interplay between DAF and ICAM-1 is not required for CAV-21 infection, as CAV-21 lytic infection mediated via the DAF/ICAM-1 receptor complex is not inhibited by replacement of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of ICAM-1 with those from an unrelated cell surface molecule, CD36.