Sindbis vectors: Illuminating the path to ovarian cancer therapy

In summary, in the current and previous works, Tseng et al highlighted two important areas for cancer research and gene therapy: (1) in vivo localization of tumor cells and (2) noninvasive monitoring of transgene expression. The novel use of Sindbis/Fluc as a probe to light up the tumors during surgery could potentially make tumor identification and debulking easier. Inclusion of noninvasive monitoring of transgene expression in clinical trials could optimize viral dosing and possibly improve the therapeutic outcome. While light-based imaging is not easily translatable into the clinic for human use, it is a very appealing modality for preclinical development and monitoring of novel gene-based therapeutics, because of its convenience, safety, lack of radioactive waste and lower cost compared to gamma or PET imaging. In addition, the potency of these intrinsically cytotoxic vectors can be enhanced via use of therapeutic transgenes such as cytokine genes or possibly in combination with other treatment modalities, thus making Sindbis a potentially promising virus for clinical translation.