# Gene and Virus Therapy Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · 2021 · $43,250

## Abstract

GENE AND VIRUS THERAPY PROGRAM PROJECT SUMMARY 
The Gene and Virus Therapy Program (GVT) is currently comprised of 22 accomplished members, both basic 
scientists and clinician investigators from 10 departments and divisions working interactively to create novel 
gene transfer, virotherapy and immunovirotherapy approaches for the treatment of cancer. This goal is 
supported by 4 specific aims: 1) To develop novel gene and virus platforms for use in cancer therapy; 2) To 
develop cancer immunotherapies by exploring the immunomodulatory potential of gene- and virus-based 
therapeutics; 3) To assess preclinical, clinical, pharmacologic, and immunologic properties of vectors used in 
cancer therapy and optimize clinical application, and 4) To evaluate the role of cells as carriers in gene and 
virus therapy approaches to cancer therapy. In addition to intensive intraprogrammatic interactions, substantive 
interprogrammatic interactions, essential for the process of clinical translation, have been established between 
the GVT and other Mayo Clinic Cancer Center (MCCC) Programs including the Hematologic Malignancies 
Program (HMP), the Women's Cancer Program (WCP), the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program (GI), the Neuro- 
Oncology Program (NONC) and the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program (CII). The Leader, Dr. 
Evanthia Galanis, is an oncologist with considerable stature in the field of gene and virus therapy. Productivity 
of the Program during the current funding period has been significant, including direct funding of $8.9M (vs 
$7.2M at the 2013 renewal) and a total of 426 publications (as of 12/31/2017). In addition,multiple Phase I/II 
clinical trials of recombinant viruses or oncolytic virus infected carrier stem cells which were designed, 
constructed, preclinically tested, and manufactured at the Mayo Clinic have been launched and/or completed 
under several program sponsored IND. The efficacy observed with some of these approaches has led to later 
stage, randomized phase II trials. Additionally, there are several promising projects in the translational 
pipeline, including immunovirotherapy strategies employing virus strains encoding immunostimulatory 
transgenes such as MV-NAP in breast cancer, vesicular stomatitis virus libraries in melanoma and 
combinational strategies with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10113605
- **Project number:** 5P30CA015083-47
- **Recipient organization:** MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Mitesh Borad
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $43,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-04-25 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10113605

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10113605, Gene and Virus Therapy Program (5P30CA015083-47). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10113605. Licensed CC0.

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