{"title":"Merkel Cell Polyomavirus-Pathophysiology and Treatment in the Era of Gene-Targeted Therapies.","authors":"Trairong Chokwassanasakulkit, Nigel A J McMillan","doi":"10.1002/rmv.2580","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is a significant contributor to the development of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), an aggressive skin cancer with high recurrence and a low survival rate. In fact, it is the deadliest skin cancer. The precise routes of transmission for MCPyV-positive MCC remain unclear, but several factors may trigger its development. Conventional treatments for MCC are not highly effective, especially in patients with metastasis, with a clear need for new treatment options. Gene-targeted therapies hold great promise for the treatment of MCC, including the use of siRNA and CRISPR/Cas (C/Cas) but critically none have yet been translated into clinical trials. Validating this approach is the fact that several siRNA products are already FDA licenced, while C/Cas has entered clinical trial, albeit for conditions other than MCC. There are many challenges that must be overcome to move from preclinical research to the clinic. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the current understanding of MCC, with a particular focus on MCPyV-positive MCC, and the status of gene-targeted therapies. Additionally, we discuss the major obstacles that impede MCC research and explore future prospects.</p>","PeriodicalId":21180,"journal":{"name":"Reviews in Medical Virology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Reviews in Medical Virology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.2580","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"VIROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is a significant contributor to the development of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), an aggressive skin cancer with high recurrence and a low survival rate. In fact, it is the deadliest skin cancer. The precise routes of transmission for MCPyV-positive MCC remain unclear, but several factors may trigger its development. Conventional treatments for MCC are not highly effective, especially in patients with metastasis, with a clear need for new treatment options. Gene-targeted therapies hold great promise for the treatment of MCC, including the use of siRNA and CRISPR/Cas (C/Cas) but critically none have yet been translated into clinical trials. Validating this approach is the fact that several siRNA products are already FDA licenced, while C/Cas has entered clinical trial, albeit for conditions other than MCC. There are many challenges that must be overcome to move from preclinical research to the clinic. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the current understanding of MCC, with a particular focus on MCPyV-positive MCC, and the status of gene-targeted therapies. Additionally, we discuss the major obstacles that impede MCC research and explore future prospects.
期刊介绍:
Reviews in Medical Virology aims to provide articles reviewing conceptual or technological advances in diverse areas of virology. The journal covers topics such as molecular biology, cell biology, replication, pathogenesis, immunology, immunization, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment of viruses of medical importance, and COVID-19 research. The journal has an Impact Factor of 6.989 for the year 2020.
The readership of the journal includes clinicians, virologists, medical microbiologists, molecular biologists, infectious disease specialists, and immunologists. Reviews in Medical Virology is indexed and abstracted in databases such as CABI, Abstracts in Anthropology, ProQuest, Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, ProQuest Central K-494, SCOPUS, and Web of Science et,al.