The present invention relates to non-laboratory virus strains, for example of herpes viruses such as HSV, with improved oncolytic and/or gene delivery capabilities as compared to laboratory virus strains.
1. A method of treating a tumor in an individual in need thereof, comprising the step of administering to said individual an effective amount of an oncolytic herpes simplex virus 1 strain (HSV1), wherein said oncolytic (HSV1) strain is a clinical isolate from a recurrent cold sore modified such that it lacks a function ICP34.5-encoding gene, wherein said modified clinical isolate has a greater ability than a reference laboratory HSV strain modified in the same manner as the clinical isolate to replicate in or kill tumor cells, and wherein said reference laboratory strain is selected from the group consisting of HSV1 strain 17+, HSV1 strain F and HSV1 strain KOS.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said clinical isolate has undergone 100 or less cycles of serial passage since isolation from its host.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said HSV1 strain is further modified such that it lacks one or more of, a functional ICP6-encoding gene or a functional thymidine kinase-encoding gene.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the HSV1 further lacks a functional ICP47 gene.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said HSV1 further comprises a heterologous gene.
6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said heterologous gene is a gene capable of modifying immune responses.
7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said heterologous gene capable of modifying immune responses encodes an immune stimulatory polypeptide or another gene product capable of modifying immune responses, a prodrug activator, a tumour suppressor or a pro-apoptotic gene product.
8. A method according to claim 7 wherein said immune stimulatory polypeptide is granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF), another cytokine or chemokine, RANTES, B7.1 or B7.2 or IL12, or wherein the prodrug activator is nitroeductase or cytochrome p450, or wherein the tumour suppressor is p53.
9. The method of claim 2 , wherein said clinical isolate HSV1 has undergone 50 or less cycles of serial passage since isolation from its host.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said clinical isolate HSV1 has undergone 20 or less cycles of serial passage since isolation from its host.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said clinical isolate HSV1 has undergone 10 or less cycles of serial passage since isolation from its host.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said clinical isolate HSV1 has undergone one year or less in culture since isolation from its host.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said clinical isolate HSV1 has undergone six months or less in culture since isolation from its host.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said clinical isolate HSV1 has undergone one month or less in culture since isolation from its host.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said clinical isolate is a HSV1 JS1 strain, HSV1 JS1 being deposited at the European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC) under accession number 01010209.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said individual is human.