Analysis of the oncolytic effect of Newcastle Disease Virus on 3D models of cancer cells from dogs and cats.

• Grant number: 22/16522-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Heidge Fukumasu
• Grantee: Beatriz Magalhães Gomes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

3D cells cultures have the advantage of mimicking the tumor microenviroment, and this makes these models ideal for evaluation of new cancer therapies, obtaining results that can be considered more reliable compared to 2D cultures in cell monolayers. Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is an oncolytic virus, non-pathogenic for mammals, which selectively induces oncolytic effects in cancer cells, without, however, affecting non-tumor cells. Because it has several advantages, such as reduction of possible side effects, easy manipulation of the genome; low chance of genomic recombination with the host cell and low seroprevalence of antibodies against the virus in mammals in general, NDV is one of the greatest candidates for application in oncolytic therapies. Therefore, this project aims to study the ability of NDV virus to infect and induce oncolytic effects in 3D models of cells derived from canine mammary carcinoma and FeLV-positive feline lymphoma.