Oncolytic Virus-Mediated Targeting of PGE2 in the Tumor Alters the Immune Status and Sensitizes Established and Resistant Tumors to Immunotherapy

Immunotherapies are highly promising cancer treatments, but understanding the factors mediating their resistance remains critical. Successes in randomized clinical testing have supported the growing appreciation that oncolytic virotherapies primarily act as immunotherapies. Here we identified prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the tumor as a key mediator of resistance to immunotherapies, including oncolytic vaccinia virotherapy. Elevated levels of PGE2 coupled to suppressive chemokine profiles and high levels of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells resulted in loss of immunotherapeutic potential. Viral vectors engineered to target PGE2 were capable of overcoming localized immunosuppression leading to profound changes in the tumor's immune status. This allowed the viral vectors to raise robust anti-tumor adaptive immune responses and sensitized established and previously resistant tumors to immunotherapies.