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Repeat Systemic Delivery of Cross-Neutralization Resistant Synthetic Vesiculoviruses Immunomodulates the Tumor Microenvironment

Elliott, N. M.; Kendall, B. L.; Dutta, S.; Sarkar, D.; Vant, J. W.; Thompson, J.; Raupach, E.; Shin, C.; Ferdous, K. U.; Cios, A.; Buetow, K.; Watters, C.; Oh, S.; Schulze, A.; Baker, A. T.; Nagalo, B. M.; Vile, R.; Borad, M.

2025-08-03 molecular biology
10.1101/2025.08.01.668184 bioRxiv
Show abstract

The clinical efficacy of systemic oncolytic virotherapy (OV) is constrained by the rapid development of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), which prevent repeat systemic administration, a critical barrier to sustained anti-tumor immunity. Vesiculoviruses offer potent oncolytic and immunogenic potential. However, leveraging their serological diversity for repeat dosing remains unexplored. We generated a library of chimeric vesiculovirus vectors incorporating glycoproteins from less well characterized vesiculovirus species. We evaluated vector replication, infectivity, interferon (IFN) responses, and oncolysis in vitro, alongside assessments of neutralization resistance using patient sera, monoclonal antibodies, and in silico structural modeling. In vivo studies assessed tumor delivery, immune activation, and therapeutic efficacy following intravenous administration. The vesiculovirus library exhibited broad tumor infectivity, distinct IFN-stimulatory profiles, and variable oncolytic activity. Neutralization assays and computational modeling identified serological distinctness across vectors, driven by hypervariable glycoprotein epitopes, enabling evasion of cross-neutralizing antibodies. Tumor delivery and anti-tumor immunity were preserved despite humoral barriers. Incorporating tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) further amplified anti-tumor responses, even in the context of anti-viral memory. Sequential administration of distinct vesiculovirus vectors induced robust immune activation and improved survival in a B16-OVA-IFNAR-/- model. Our findings establish a glycoprotein-diverse vesiculovirus platform capable of overcoming humoral immunity, enabling repeat intravenous dosing and sustained engagement of the tumor microenvironment. This strategy advances the field of oncolytic virotherapy by addressing a major translational barrier and lays the groundwork for future clinical studies integrating multi-vector, multi-dose immunovirotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade. One Sentence SummaryA glycoprotein-engineered vesiculovirus platform circumvents neutralizing antibodies, enabling repeat intravenous dosing and sustained anti-tumor immunity in preclinical models.

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