Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 from a fatal human case induces pneumonia in experimentally infected cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis).

Although avian paramyxovirus type 1 is known to cause mild transient conjunctivitis in human beings, there are two recent reports of fatal respiratory disease in immunocompromised human patients infected with the pigeon lineage of the virus (PPMV-1). In order to evaluate the potential of PPMV-1 to cause respiratory tract disease, we inoculated a PPMV-1 isolate (hPPMV-1/Netherlands/579/2003) from an immunocompromised human patient into three healthy cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and examined them by clinical, virological, and pathological assays. In all three macaques, PPMV-1 replication was restricted to the respiratory tract and caused pulmonary consolidation affecting up to 30% of the lung surface. Both alveolar and bronchiolar epithelial cells expressed viral antigen, which co-localized with areas of diffuse alveolar damage. The results of this study demonstrate that PPMV-1 is a primary respiratory pathogen in cynomolgus macaques, and support the conclusion that PPMV-1 may cause fatal respiratory disease in immunocompromised human patients.

Recombinant Immunomodulating Lentogenic or Mesogenic Oncolytic Newcastle Disease Virus for Treatment of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

Oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) might be a promising new therapeutic agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We evaluated recombinant NDVs (rNDVs) expressing interferon (rNDV-hIFNß-F0) or an IFN antagonistic protein (rNDV-NS1-F0), as well as rNDV with increased virulence (rNDV-F3aa) for oncolytic efficacy in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Expression of additional proteins did not hamper virus replication or cytotoxic effects on itself. However, expression of interferon, but not NS1, resulted in loss of multicycle replication. Conversely, increasing the virulence (rNDV-F3aa) resulted in enhanced replication of the virus. Type I interferon was produced in high amounts by all tumor cells inoculated with rNDV-hIFNß -F0, while inoculation with rNDV-NS1-F0 resulted in a complete block of interferon production in most cells. Inoculation of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells with rNDV-F3aa caused markedly more cytotoxicity compared to rNDV-F0, while inoculation with rNDVß-hIFN -F0 and rNDV-NS1-F0 induced cytotoxic effects comparable to those induced by the parental rNDV-F0. Evaluation in vivo using mice bearing subcutaneous pancreatic cancer xenografts revealed that only intratumoral injection with rNDV-F3aa resulted in regression of tumors. We conclude that although lentogenic rNDVs harboring proteins that modulate the type I interferon pathway proteins do have an oncolytic effect, a more virulent mesogenic rNDV might be needed to improve oncolytic efficacy.

Oncolytic viruses: From bench to bedside with a focus on safety.

Oncolytic viruses are a relatively new class of anti-cancer immunotherapy agents. Several viruses have undergone evaluation in clinical trials in the last decades, and the first agent is about to be approved to be used as a novel cancer therapy modality. In the current review, an overview is presented on recent (pre)clinical developments in the field of oncolytic viruses that have previously been or currently are being evaluated in clinical trials. Special attention is given to possible safety issues like toxicity, environmental shedding, mutation and reversion to wildtype virus.