Test Description
Vaccinia is an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Poxviridae family. The vaccinia virus was used as the basis for the first smallpox vaccine; recently, the virus has been explored as a vehicle for novel cancer treatment. A modified oncolytic vaccinia virus can specifically target cells expressing tumor markers, allowing the virus to directly attack cancer cells while leaving healthy cells uninfected. By further modifying the virus to drive the expression of immunomodulatory compounds in infected cells, therapeutic agents may be delivered with high precision into the tumor microenvironment.