Ripping a hole in cancer cells’ invisibility cloak
Oncolytic viruses are cancer-killing viruses engineered to target and replicate in cancer cells and leave normal cells unharmed. They can also alert the immune system to attack the cancer cells. Susanne Warner, MD, is conducting research around a novel cancer-killing virus that can attack tumors in three different ways: by infecting tumor cells, by shutting down blood supply to the tumor, and by training a patient’s immune system to attack the tumor. Dr. Warner is also a surgical oncologist, and she has a deep interest in patient care that goes beyond the operating room – she talks at length about helping patients through their emotional and spiritual journey. Susanne Warner, MD, is Assistant Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology and Department of Surgery at City of Hope. 2:07 – What is an oncolytic virus? 3:09 – How do they find cancer cells and how do they kill them? 7:17 – How do you make an oncolytic virus in the lab? 8:53 – One of the ongoing debates in the scientific community about oncolytic viruses “The ideal oncolytic viruses in our opinion are potent, quickly dividing and then what we call immunogenic. And that means that the type of tumor cell destruction that they cause makes a splash, essentially, and gets the attention of the immune system so that it can mount an anti-viral response, which then is also a robust anti-tumor response if enough of those tumor cells have been destroyed and revealed themselves to the immune system.” 11:41 – Why the immune system doesn’t just respond on its own to cancer, and how oncolytic viral therapy can rip a hole in the “invisibility cloak” that cancer cells wear 14:07 – The promise of clinical therapies combining immunotherapy with oncolytic virus therapy 17:24 – The surgeon-patient relationship and her interest in helping patients in their spiritual and emotional journey 21:55 – Her message for cancer patients and survivors 25:08 – The impact of ACS funding on her career