Research projects

Professor Alan Melcher, Translational Immunotherapy Team

Pre-Clinical Research

We are investigating local and systemic delivery of oncolytic viruses (OV) to tumours in mouse models, including in the brain. For example, we have shown that access of reovirus to tumours can be paradoxically enhanced by the presence of anti-viral neutralizing antibodies (NAb), which form complexes with reovirus for uptake, carriage and delivery to tumours by monocytes in the blood.

We are testing combination of systemic virotherapy (reovirus, herpes, vaccinia and maraba) with other immunomodulatory, clinical standard of care treatments (immune checkpoint blockade antibodies, targeted small molecules and radiotherapy).

We use murine models and human in vitro immune assays (including use of patient samples) to complement our translational trial data. This ensures we generate the most comprehensive pre-clinical dataset we can to optimize and guide future clinical development of novel OV and other immunotherapies.

Translational Trials

We perform biological endpoint, translational trials to address biological questions in patients. We have shown, using window-of-opportunity studies in patients planned for surgical resections, that intravenous reovirus successfully accesses tumours in patients with cancer in the liver or brain.

We are now developing further such studies combining OV with other immunomodulators, to ensure continuous, iterative translational research between laboratory and clinic to inform future trial development and benefit to patients.