Didn't see this posted yetnot sure what the implications are if any for onc, but thought it might be of interest.
Engineered virus provides impetus in search for HIV vaccine
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-04/bcom-evp041304.php
excerpts
A hybrid gene therapy vector that contains components of two viruses could provide a vehicle for producing a vaccine against a host of diseases, including the human immunodeficiency virus, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a multi-institutional research report that appears online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In this work, a vaccine vector has been engineered that uses potent features of adenovirus that normally infects respiratory tissues and of reovirus that infects the mucosal membranes of the gut. To develop this potential vaccine vector, a key protein of reovirus that allows it to enter the gut has been exchanged into adenovirus to retarget this non-infectious gene therapy vector into mucosal surfaces.
"This mucosal targeting vector may prove quite potent for repelling viruses like HIV-1 and infectious bioweapons, since the vast majority of pathogens enter the body at mucosal surfaces," said Dr. Michael Barry, an associate professor in BCM's Center for Cell and Gene Therapy with a joint appointment in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University.
"Beyond its potential as a vaccine vehicle, this hybrid vector will also have utility by allowing us to study the specific interactions of this reovirus protein in the host," said Barry. "This has previously been difficult due to the complex genetics of reovirus. Now we can study these complex interactions using the simpler genetic system provided by the adenoviral vector."
here is the link to the online abstract, published apr. 12
https://www.pnas.org/cgi/gca?allch=&SEARCHID=1082347564036_487&TITLEABSTRACT=reovirus&FIRSTINDEX=0&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&gca=pnas%3B0400542101v1