Newcastle disease virus: a promising agent for tumour immunotherapy

Malignant tumours are a major cause of mortality in humans. Currently used therapeutic regimens have not improved survival rates of patients suffering from malignant tumours much because of their limited efficacy and side-effects. A therapeutic approach that uses Newcastle disease virus (NDV) represents an attractive new tool for tumour immunotherapy. The present review highlights the mechanisms and advances that are likely to have considerable impact on NDV virotherapy. Significant evidence exists regarding the oncolytic effects of NDV, suggesting its potential use in the treatment of various tumours. Furthermore, clinical trials have suggested that several NDV strains have the potential for cancer virotherapy with few side-effects compared with traditional treatments. Many studies have been performed to investigate the oncolytic mechanisms of NDV. Apoptosis following NDV infection may contribute to the observed oncolytic effects; however, NDV could also stimulate both innate and adaptive antitumour immune responses. For many years, different approaches have been investigated (or are in the process of being developed) regarding the use of NDV for the treatment of malignancies. Recent advances using reverse genetics have provided a means of generating recombinant NDV strains with improved oncolytic and immune regulatory properties.