Oncolytic Virus Improves Survival in Glioblastoma Trial

Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reported the results of a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a novel oncolytic virus in patients with high-grade recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM).The candidate, virus can infect cancer cells and stimulate an anti-tumor immune response. Findings from the first in human study, involving 41 patients, demonstrated the safety and preliminary efficacy of the novel gene therapy. The results also showed that treatment resulted in prolonged survival among a subgroup of recurrent GBM patients who were immunologically “familiar” with the virus and had pre-exiting viral antibodies.