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Pediatric brain tumors are among the most challenging childhood cancers to treat, with survival rates remaining low despite surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. To improve outcomes, researchers are exploring immunotherapies—treatments that boost the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. One promising approach uses oncolytic viruses (OVs), which can infect and kill tumor cells while triggering an immune response against the cancer.
 

This thesis investigated the use of natural and genetically engineered OVs against different pediatric brain tumors. Each virus showed a distinct “preference” for certain tumors, and these patterns could serve as biomarkers to predict their effectiveness. Beyond directly destroying cancer cells, OVs have also been shown to stimulate the immune system—suggesting they might work even better in combination with other immunotherapies.
Therefore, we then tested OVs together with two types of engineered immune cells. The first, called TEGs, are designed to sense metabolic changes in tumor cells, and in some cases, this pairing improved tumor killing. The second strategy involved CAR T-cells, which are engineered to target specific tumor markers. When combined with OVs, CAR T-cells became more effective, leading to improved killing of the tumor.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that oncolytic viruses hold strong potential as treatments for pediatric brain tumors, especially when paired with other immunotherapies. This combined approach could pave the way for safer and more effective therapies for children facing aggressive brain cancers.