Injected directly into the tumor, the virus is supposed to selectively infect and kill certain cancer cells.
In a Phase I trial conducted by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in the UK, RP2 was given as the only treatment to nine patients with advanced cancers that failed to respond to other therapies; it was also given in combination with another immunotherapy drug to 30 patients.“Our study shows that a genetically engineered, cancer-killing virus can deliver a one-two punch against tumors—directly destroying cancer cells from within while also calling in the immune system against them,” said lead author Kevin Harrington, professor of Biological Cancer Therapies at The Institute of Cancer Research, in a statement from the organization.