Oncolytic Virus Therapy - Current Field, Challenges and Future Directions

Monday 9th March, 12:30 – 15:00

Ulrich M. Lauer, MD, Professor, Vice Chairman, Internal Medicine VIII, Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen

Adel Samson, MD, PhD, CRUK Clinician Scientist, Group Leader, Translational Cancer Immunotherapy Group, University of Leeds

Course Description:

This course will focus on current status of pre-clinical, translational and clinical data for oncolytic viruses, examine several mechanisms being responsible for resistances observed in oncolytic viral treatments and approaches that help to choose the best virotherapeutic for each patient. Significant challenges in widely applying oncolytic virus in the clinic still remain and will be discussed in details.

What You Will Learn:

• Resistancies to virotherapy
• Interferon signaling pathways
• Personalized virotherapy
• Virograms approach
• Combined/simultaneous application of virotherapeutics
• Immunological basis of virotherapy (turning immunologically ‘cold’ tumours ‘hot’)
• Current status of pre-clinical, translational and clinical data
• Intratumoural versus systemic administration
• Practical implementation in the clinic within early and late trials.

Detailed Agenda:

12:30 Ways to Future Personalized Viroimmunotherapy

Ulrich M. Lauer, MD, Professor, Vice Chairman, Internal Medicine VIII, Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen

Several mechanisms being responsible for resistances observed to each and every type of oncolytic viruses have been proposed recently. Amongst others, these include an upregulation of type I IFN signaling and the constitutive expression of a subset of interferon-simulated genes (ISGs). Based on this knowledge, several approaches such as so-called “virograms“, helping to choose the best virotherapeutic for each and every tumor patient, are under way. These important clinical developments will be discussed in detail.

1:40 Session Break

1:50 Implementation of Viroimmunotherapy in the Clinic

Adel Samson, MD, PhD, CRUK Clinician Scientist, Group Leader, Translational Cancer Immunotherapy Group, University of Leeds

Oncolytic viruses (OV) are increasingly recognised as novel agents to increase the efficacy of immune checkpoint-based immunotherapy for cancer. One agent (talimogene laherperpvec) is clinically approved, but significant challenges remain if OV are to be widely applied in the clinic. These include route of delivery, choice of tumour target, personalising therapy, and the rational, scientifically-driven development of optimal combinations.

Meet the Instructors:

Ulrich M. Lauer, MD, Professor, Vice Chairman, Internal Medicine VIII, Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen

Prof. Dr. U.M. Lauer is serving as an Associate Professor, Senior Physician, and Research Group Leader at the University Hospital Tübingen, Germany. Prof. Lauer has published over 100 peer reviewed articles, especially in the areas of virotherapy and gene therapy. Since 2006 Prof. Lauer is Head of the German Oncolysis Consortium (GOC). Prof. Lauer for the first time has applied recombinant oncolytic vaccinia virus-based virotherapeutics in a locoregional manner in patients exhibiting peritoneal carcinomatosis. Prof. Lauer´s current research is focused on Experimental & Translational Oncology, Patient-indivualized Virotherapy (Tumor Tissue Slice Technology & Organoids), Oncolytic Virus Technologies (Measles vaccine virus, Vaccinia Virus, Herpes simplex virus), Suicide gene Arming of Oncolytic Viruses, Innate immunity mediated Tumor Therapy and Epigenetic Tumor Therapy.

Adel Samson, MD, PhD, CRUK Clinician Scientist, Group Leader, Translational Cancer Immunotherapy Group, University of Leeds

Translational Cancer Immunotherapy Group, University of Leeds I lead the Translational Cancer Immunotherapy Group. My research group focuses on harnessing the immune system to treat solid malignancies, optimising the efficacy and delivery of immunotherapies to tumours, and understanding the immunological effects of cancer therapies. I studied medicine and intercalated in Genetics at the University of Leeds. Upon graduation in 2006, I undertook an Academic Oncology Foundation Programme and Core Medical Training in Yorkshire, followed by an Academic Clinical Fellowship to train in Medical Oncology. My CRUK-funded laboratory PhD was completed in 2015 in ‘Causative and Therapeutic Viruses in Liver Cancer’, after which I undertook a 3-year period of post-doctoral research as an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer. In 2018 I took up my first PI post as a University Academic Fellow and an Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist, specialising in hepatocellular carcinoma and early phase clinical trials. In 2019 I was awarded a CRUK Clinician Scientist Fellowship entitled ‘Rationally-Designed Oncolytic Virus-Based Immunotherapies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma’. Since taking up my PI position, I have been awarded several million pounds in grants funding from research councils, charities and industrial partners.