Journal article
The Evolution, Current Landscape, and Future Prospects of Oncolytic Virotherapy in Melanoma: Talimogene Laherparepvec and Beyond
Cells (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.14(20), 1620
10/17/2025
DOI: 10.3390/cells14201620
PMCID: PMC12563648
PMID: 41148835
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses represent an emerging class of therapeutic agents that have the potential to transform the care of patients with melanoma. In this narrative review, we describe the evolution of oncolytic virus approaches. We begin by describing early investigations using wild type viruses and then the development of sophisticated Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) variant constructs such as talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) and vusolimogene oderparepvec (Replimune-1, RP1), which incorporate deletions of viral genes and expression of human or synthetic transgenes to promote tumor selectivity, dendritic cell recruitment, antigen presentation, and stimulation of systemic anti-tumor immune responses. We review the status of clinical trials of oncolytic viruses in melanoma, highlight regulatory challenges, and describe important concepts and key remaining questions within the field. While T-VEC remains the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved oncolytic virus for melanoma treatment, ongoing research focusing on next-generation viral constructs and combination strategies aims to further improve clinical outcomes and expand the applicability of oncolytic virus therapy in melanoma.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Evolution, Current Landscape, and Future Prospects of Oncolytic Virotherapy in Melanoma: Talimogene Laherparepvec and Beyond
- Creators
- John Smestad - University of IowaJohn Rieth - University of IowaDouglas Laux - University of IowaMohammed Milhem - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Cells (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.14(20), 1620
- DOI
- 10.3390/cells14201620
- PMID
- 41148835
- PMCID
- PMC12563648
- NLM abbreviation
- Cells
- ISSN
- 2073-4409
- eISSN
- 2073-4409
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/17/2025
- Academic Unit
- Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9985019152302771
Metrics
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