Boosting Immunovirotherapy with Tumor Vaccination to Treat Pediatric Malignant Brain Tumors

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor, is a leading cause of cancer-related death and injury. New, improved treatments are greatly needed. We are currently conducting a clinical trial of a cold-sore virus that has been altered to target and kill brain tumor cells while not harming normal brain cells and to stimulate the child’s own immune system to attack the tumor. Results of the trial have been very promising. In the trial, we have learned that a critical obstacle to achieving more long-term responses from the virus therapy is maintaining an immune system attack on the tumor.  We will overcome this obstacle by combining a new, improved altered cold-sore virus with a unique tumor vaccine.  The new virus produces a substance that attracts more immune cells to the tumor, stimulates an even greater attack on the tumor and is currently in an adult clinical trial at UAB. The novel vaccine, which greatly improves on current technologies, is designed to increase the immune attack against the tumor and increase the amount of tumor cell killing by the virus. We plan to rapidly translate this research from the lab to the clinic, and we anticipate that we will see even better outcomes in children with brain cancer using these exciting therapies. Importantly, this combination treatment can be applied to treat other pediatric brain tumors and solid tumors outside the brain, increasing the overall potential impact for children with cancer and their families.