Chou-Yi Hsu
1 
, Saade Abdalkareem Jasim
2* , Jasur Alimdjanovich Rizaev
3, Tina Saeed Basunduwah
4 , Vikrant Abbot
5, Mamata Chahar
6, Mohammed Asiri
7, Abbas Fadhel Ali
8, Alexey Yumashev
9 , Ahmed Hussein Zwamel
10,11,121 Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University Tempe Campus, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, USA
2 Medical Laboratory Techniques Department, College of Health and Medical Techniques, University of Al-Maarif, Anbar, Iraq
3 Department of Public Health and Healthcare Management, Rector, Samarkand State Medical University, 18, Amir Temur Street, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
4 Department of Medical Student, University of Albatterjee College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
5 Chandigarh Pharmacy College, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Jhanjeri, Mohali 140307, Punjab, India
6 Department of Chemistry, NIMS University, Jaipur, India
7 Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
8 Department of Medical Laboratories Technology, AL-Nisour University College, Baghdad, Iraq
9 Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, First Moscow State Medical University, Russia
10 Medical Laboratory Technique College, the Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
11 Medical Laboratory Technique College, the Islamic University of Al Diwaniyah, Al Diwaniyah, Iraq
12 Medical Laboratory Technique College, the Islamic University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) have attracted accumulating attention in cancer therapy owing to their ability to replicate in and kill tumor cells, resulting in the stimulation of immune responses for eradicating residual and distant malignant cells. Despite milestone achievements in the development of OVs, which led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) in 2015 against melanoma, there are some hurdles limiting their translation from the bench to the clinic, such as non-specific localization, host immune response against OVs and their clearance, and low efficiency as a monotherapy. Delivery of OVs with nano-biomaterials is a promising approach to address the drawback of oncolytic virotherapy. Hydrogels, with their tunable characteristics and versatile properties, offer a promising platform for the controlled release, precise delivery, and therapeutic enhancement of OVs in combination with other therapeutic agents in the treatment of cancers. This review aims to provide a deep insight into the types and development of OVs and their application in clinical trials and then will discuss the characteristics of hydrogels and how they improve the therapeutic efficacy of OVs.