Vaccinia virus preferentially infects and controls human and murine ovarian tumors in mice.

Vaccinia virus has been shown to efficiently infect tumor cells. Therefore, vaccinia virus represents a potentially safe and effective antitumor agent against ovarian cancer. Here, we assessed the ability of vaccinia virus to preferentially infect and control both human and murine ovarian tumors in vivo. We used the non-invasive luminescence imaging system to monitor the infection and suppression of ovarian tumors by vaccinia in live mice. Our data indicated that vaccinia was able to effectively infect and kill both human and murine ovarian tumors. Vaccinia virus administered to mice intraperitoneally was specifically targeted to the murine or human ovarian tumors and led to antitumor responses. These findings suggest that vaccinia virus is capable of selectively targeting and controlling ovarian tumors. Thus, intraperitoneal injection with vaccinia virus may provide a potentially effective strategy for treating advanced-stage ovarian cancers.