Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Newcastle Disease Virus as a treatment for cat lymphoma cells
By Alves, Talita Gabriela Luna et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Oncolytic potential of Newcastle Disease Virus in feline lymphoma cells: anevaluation.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A cat with thymic lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the lymphatic system, was studied to see if a virus called Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) could help treat it. The NDV was modified to express a green fluorescent protein, allowing researchers to track its effects. The virus successfully infected the cancer cells, replicated, and caused the cancer cells to die. This suggests that NDV might be a promising new treatment option for cats with lymphoma, especially those that haven't responded well to traditional chemotherapy.
People also search for: cat lymphoma treatment · feline cancer alternative therapies · Newcastle Disease Virus for cats
Abstract
Lymphoma is one of the most prevalent types of feline cancer. It is characterized as a group of diseases that can affect various organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, thymus, and skin. In feline medicine, the search for alternative treatments is of utmost importance, given the significant number of animals that relapse or are unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy treatment. As an alternative to existing modalities of treatment for a variety of cancers, oncolytic viruses have been studied in the last few years. Those viruses possess a unique ability to target and eliminate cancer cells while simultaneously stimulating an immune response against malignant cells, acting as an immunotherapy. Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is an avian paramyxovirus that affects both domestic and wild birds, causing symptoms that range from severe to asymptomatic, depending on the viral strain. Less virulent strains are considered safe for use as a vaccine against Newcastle Disease. In the Oncology field, those strains are also being studied to be used as oncolytic virotherapy for mammals, and several results demonstrate their efficacyand. The present study aimed to explore the oncolytic potential of Newcastle Disease Virus expressing green fluorescent protein (NDV-GFP) in feline lymphoma cells isolated from a FeLV-positive patient with thymic lymphoma. The NDV-GFP infected, replicated, and induced apoptosis in feline lymphoma cells. Therefore, these results provide preliminary evidence of the oncolytic activity of NDV in feline leukemia virus-induced lymphoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40567544/