Emerging role of oncolytic viruses and stem cells in gene therapy: Should they be integrated?

Recombinant virus-based transgene therapy has shown promising results in solid tumors. Oncolytic virotherapy is a research hotspot because of its additional immunostimulatory effects. However, metastatic malignancies require systemic virotherapy, which necessitates the use of safe and effective vehicles for drug delivery. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are good carriers because of their tumor-tropic and immune-evasive capabilities. We collated published results from pre-clinical and clinical trials to support the use of MSCs as Trojan horses for the systemic administration of recombinant viruses, with a focus on glioblastoma. The generation of modified MSCs harboring recombinant viruses could expedite bench-to-bedside transformation.