A PhD Dissertation at the College of Medicine, University of Babylon on the Use of Viruses in the Treatment of Colon Cancer
The Department of Microbiology at the College of Medicine discussed the doctoral dissertation of student Riyam Abdulkhadher Mohammed, entitled:
“Study of Some Cellular and Immunological Aspects of Using Oncolytic Virus (Measles Virus) on Colon Cancer Cells: An In Vitro Study”
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Zaitoon Abdul Ridha Al-Khafaji and Prof. Dr. Qaisar Naama Madhloom.
The defense session was attended by the Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ashraf Mohammed Ali Hussein, along with several faculty members, academics, and postgraduate students.
During her defense, the researcher explained that this comprehensive study was conducted at the Cancer Research Laboratory, College of Medicine, University of Babylon, from January 2025 to May 2025. Its primary objective was to investigate the individual and combined effects of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs (cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil), targeted therapy (cetuximab), and oncolytic virotherapy (measles virus) on SW480 colon cancer cells.
The methodology involved treating human colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480 cells with single agents and various binary and triple combinations. Assessments were performed using the MTT assay for cell viability, ELISA for immunological markers including Caspase-3, IFN-?, TGF-?, IL-10, and TNF-?, crystal violet staining, and statistical analysis via SPSS.
The study revealed important findings regarding the effects of single agents: both cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil demonstrated dose-dependent cytotoxicity across concentrations of 500–31.25 µg/ml, with cisplatin showing superior cytotoxic efficacy compared to 5-fluorouracil. This was attributed to cisplatin’s mechanism of inducing irreversible DNA crosslinks, whereas 5-fluorouracil interferes with DNA synthesis.
Cetuximab monotherapy did not show significant cytotoxic effects at any tested concentration, suggesting potential intrinsic resistance in SW480 cells and highlighting the importance of molecular profiling for patient selection. The measles virus exhibited promising oncolytic properties with strong immune-stimulatory effects, inducing more than a twofold increase in IFN-? levels.
Combination therapies demonstrated the most significant outcomes, with the triple combination of chemotherapy, cetuximab, and measles virus achieving the highest tumor cell killing. The oncolytic virus greatly enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy, with cisplatin consistently outperforming 5-fluorouracil across all combinations.
Immunomodulatory changes were favorable, including reductions in immunosuppressive factors (TGF-? and IL-10), strong immune activation through IFN-? response induced by the measles virus, and regulation of inflammation via suppression of TNF-? to prevent chronic inflammation. Apoptotic pathway analysis showed reduced caspase-3 activation in the combinations, suggesting alternative cell death mechanisms, with potential enhancement of immunogenic cell death and evidence of necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis.
The clinical implications of this research indicate that oncolytic virotherapy demonstrates exceptional promise as an adjuvant to conventional chemotherapy, with cisplatin-based combinations proving more effective than 5-fluorouracil–based regimens. The study emphasizes the necessity of personalized therapeutic strategies based on tumor molecular characteristics and identifies optimal therapeutic windows to preserve beneficial immune responses.
The research concludes that combined therapy integrating the oncolytic measles virus with conventional chemotherapy represents a promising multimodal approach for colon cancer treatment. The enhanced cytotoxicity together with favorable immune modulation suggests that such combinations could overcome conventional resistance mechanisms while promoting durable anti-tumor immunity.
This study provides critical evidence for the advancement of oncolytic virus–based combination therapies toward clinical evaluation, with careful consideration of treatment sequencing, dose optimization, and patient selection based on tumor molecular profiles.