Molecular Therapy Oncology: What’s in a name?

In 2014, the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ASGCT) launched a sibling journal to Molecular Therapy (MT), Molecular Therapy - Oncolytics (MTO), to accommodate the blossoming field of cancer biologics and publish studies that involved “engineering cells, viruses, or other microorganisms to combat cancer.”1Fong Y. MTO: a new journal for a maturing field.Mol. Ther. Oncolytics. 2014; 114001https://doi.org/10.1038/mto.2014.1Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (0) Google Scholar Similar to the other MT sibling journals, MTO was intended to be an outlet for cancer therapy papers that deserved to be published but were more specialized and needed a more targeted audience. Their timing was right on, as it was concurrent with the first FDA approval of an anti-PD-1 antibody, and the following year, we saw the first FDA approval of an oncolytic virus as a cancer therapy.2First Oncolytic Viral Therapy for Melanoma.Cancer Discov. 2016; 6: 6https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NB2015-158Crossref PubMed Scopus (34) Google Scholar Another 2 years thereafter, the FDA approved an engineered cell therapy for leukemia.3Bach P.B. Giralt S.A. Saltz L.B. FDA Approval of Tisagenlecleucel: Promise and Complexities of a $475 000 Cancer Drug.JAMA. 2017; 318: 1861-1862https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.15218Crossref PubMed Scopus (123) Google Scholar Since then, checkpoint inhibitors have flourished, and cell therapies have exploded,4Mitra A. Barua A. Huang L. Ganguly S. Feng Q. He B. From bench to bedside: the history and progress of CAR T cell therapy.Front. Immunol. 2023; 141188049https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188049Crossref Scopus (3) Google Scholar with six FDA-approved products so far and global markets estimated to reach $50 billion by 2030. Sadly, there has not yet been another oncolytic virus on the US market, though a few have received conditional approvals in other countries.5Zamecnik A. Immunotherapy insights: Oncolytic viruses struggle to find a spot in a crowded field.Pharm. Technol. 2023; https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/immunotherapy-insights-oncolytic-viruses-struggle-to-find-a-spot-in-a-crowded-field/Google Scholar Encouragingly, there have been promising clinical data reported in small studies in certain settings,6Desjardins A. Gromeier M. Herndon J.E. Beaubier N. Bolognesi D.P. Friedman A.H. Friedman H.S. McSherry F. Muscat A.M. Nair S. et al.Recurrent Glioblastoma Treated with Recombinant Poliovirus.N. Engl. J. Med. 2018; 379: 150-161https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1716435Crossref PubMed Scopus (486) Google Scholar,7Friedman G.K. Johnston J.M. Bag A.K. Bernstock J.D. Li R. Aban I. Kachurak K. Nan L. Kang K.-D. Totsch S. et al.Oncolytic HSV-1 G207 Immunovirotherapy for Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas.N. Engl. J. Med. 2021; 384: 1613-1622https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2024947Crossref PubMed Scopus (144) Google Scholar,8Gállego Pérez-Larraya J. Garcia-Moure M. Labiano S. Patiño-García A. Dobbs J. Gonzalez-Huarriz M. Zalacain M. Marrodan L. Martinez-Velez N. Puigdelloses M. et al.Oncolytic DNX-2401 Virus for Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.N. Engl. J. Med. 2022; 386: 2471-2481https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2202028Crossref PubMed Scopus (67) Google Scholar giving us hope there is a future for oncolytic viruses. No bacterial therapies have yet been approved, but there are numerous ongoing trials. Going by its title, MTO technically encompasses any therapy that destroys cancer (onco, from the Greek onkos, meaning lump or mass; lysis, from the Greek lusis, meaning breaking down). That said, in terms of everyday use, the term “oncolytics” is almost exclusively associated with oncolytic viruses and not really used to refer to any other type of therapeutic. The point was driven home to me as a newly minted editor-in-chief this year when a cell therapy author who had submitted a paper to MT refused to transfer it to MTO “because our study is not about oncolytic viruses.” Given all the exciting developments across a wide range of cancer therapy technologies in the decade since our launch, it is important we return to the original, broader vision of the ASGCT leadership and of the inaugural MTO editor-in-chief, Yuman Fong. To serve the field best, Dr. Fong emphasized that we need to publish “both basic and translational studies,” including relevant negative data (e.g., “no dose-limiting toxicity”), aiming “for rapid publication of new knowledge to facilitate treatment and cure of human cancer.”1Fong Y. MTO: a new journal for a maturing field.Mol. Ther. Oncolytics. 2014; 114001https://doi.org/10.1038/mto.2014.1Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (0) Google Scholar Although it is only a switch of a few letters, we believe changing the journal name to Molecular Therapy Oncology will have a significant impact on the journal’s success, on ASGCT, and on investigators by making it clear we welcome submissions from all disciplines related to cancer therapy. You can find a description of our new scope on the MT Family’s Aims and Scope page.9Aims and Scope: Molecular Therapy Family of Journals: Cell Press.https://www.cell.com/molecular-therapy-family/aimsGoogle Scholar Furthermore, to provide expert management and review of a broader diversity of submissions, we plan to expand the expertise of our editorial board and our associate editors. Please check our website periodically for our call for volunteers to see the topic areas we seek to fill. It is an exciting time in cancer therapy, and with this journal rebranding, it is also an exciting time for Molecular Therapy Oncology.