Review
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2008; 14(9): 1321-1325
Published online Mar 7, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.1321
Feasibility of herpes simplex virus type 1 mutants labeled with radionuclides for tumor treatment
Yan-Xia Mi, Ya-Hong Long, Yun-Chun Li
Yan-Xia Mi, Ya-Hong Long, Yun-Chun Li, Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Li YC, Mi YX, Long YH contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Yun-Chun Li, Department of Nuclear Medi-cine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. ycliwc@163.com
Telephone: +86-28-81812589
Fax: +86-28-85422697
Received: October 19, 2007
Revised: December 3, 2007
Published online: March 7, 2008
Abstract

For over one hundred years, viruses have been recognized as capable of killing tumor cells. At present, people are still researching and constructing more suitable oncolytic viruses for treating different malignant tumors. Although extensive studies have demonstrated that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is the most potential oncolytic virus, therapies based on herpes simplex virus type 1 vectors still arouse bio-safety and risk management issues. Researchers have therefore introduced the new idea of treating cancer with HSV-1 mutants labeled with radionuclides, combining radionuclide and oncolytic virus therapies. This overview briefly summarizes the status and mechanisms by which oncolytic viruses kill tumor cells, discusses the application of HSV-1 and HSV-1 derived vectors for tumor therapy, and demonstrates the feasibility and prospect of HSV-1 mutants labeled with radionuclides for treating tumors.

Keywords: Oncolytic virus; Herpes simplex virus type 1; Mutant; Radionuclide; Tumor therapy