Oncolytic therapy and gene therapy for cancer: recent advances in antitumor effects of Newcastle disease virus.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) replicates in the cytoplasm and disintegrates the host genome or participates in recombination, and has a strong affinity for tumor cells. These characteristics make it safer and more attractive than retroviruses or certain other DNA viruses, and one of the most potential oncolytic viruses used in oncolytic therapy. The construction of recombinant NDV (rNDV) using reverse genetics technology with NDV as a gene delivery vector has also enabled NDV in gene therapy approaches for treating cancer and other diseases. rNDV can not only stably express exogenous therapeutic genes, but also enhance the ability of the virus to kill tumor cells and induce host anti-tumor immune response. This article reviews the molecular characteristics, anti-tumor mechanisms, and the applications of NDV in cancer therapy.