Differential Susceptibility of Ex Vivo Primary Glioblastoma Tumors to Oncolytic Effect of Modified Zika Virus.

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common primary malignant brain tumor, is a highly lethal form of cancer with a very limited set of treatment options. High heterogeneity in the tumor cell population and the invasive nature of these cells decrease the likely efficacy of traditional cancer treatments, thus requiring research into novel treatment options. The use of oncolytic viruses as potential therapeutics has been researched for some time. Zika virus (ZIKV) has demonstrated oncotropism and oncolytic effects on GBM stem cells (GSCs). To address the need for safe and effective GBM treatments, we designed an attenuated ZIKV strain (ZOL-1) that does not cause paralytic or neurological diseases in mouse models compared with unmodified ZIKV. Importantly, we found that patient-derived GBM tumors exhibited susceptibility (responders) and non-susceptibility (non-responders) to ZOL-1-mediated tumor cell killing, as evidenced by differential apoptotic cell death and cell viability upon ZOL-1 treatment. The oncolytic effect observed in responder cells was seen both in vitro in neurosphere models and in vivo upon xenograft. Finally, we observed that the use of ZOL-1 as combination therapy with multiple PI3K-AKT inhibitors in non-responder GBM resulted in enhanced chemotherapeutic efficacy. Altogether, this study establishes ZOL-1 as a safe and effective treatment against GBM and provides a foundation to conduct further studies evaluating its potential as an effective adjuvant with other chemotherapies and kinase inhibitors.

Neurological pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and pandemic potential RNA viruses: a comparative analysis.

SARS-CoV-2 has infected hundreds of millions of people with over four million dead, resulting in one of the worst global pandemics in recent history. Neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 include anosmia, ageusia, headaches, confusion, delirium, and strokes. These may manifest due to viral entry into the central nervous system (CNS) through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by means of ill-defined mechanisms. Here, we summarize the abilities of SARS-CoV-2 and other neurotropic RNA viruses, including Zika virus and Nipah virus, to cross the BBB into the CNS, highlighting the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing presence and severity of brain structural changes in COVID-19 patients. We present new insight into key mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7 (P681H) and B.1.617.2 (P681R), which may impact on neuropilin 1 (NRP1) binding and CNS invasion. We postulate that SARS-CoV-2 may infect both peripheral cells capable of crossing the BBB and brain endothelial cells to traverse the BBB and spread into the brain. COVID-19 patients can be followed up with MRI modalities to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain.