Len Seymour
Our research develops anti-cancer viruses that are able to infect and kill cancer cells, while leaving normal cells unharmed. This approach exploits the natural life cycle of the virus, which lyses infected cells in order to release progeny virus particles, allowing the infection to spread from cell to cell through the tumour. The life cycle of some viruses, such as adenoviruses, is intimately dependent on the activities of the cells they infect, and this provides a range of opportunities to engineer viruses that are only active when they encounter the specific environment of a tumour cell.
Adenoviruses can be designed that are dependent on deregulated cell cycle, dysfunctional apoptosis pathways, enhanced glycolytic metabolism and many others. In this way the virus amplifies itself within the tumour, reaching high local concentrations and potentially infecting all tumour cells. In addition this 'oncolytic' type of cell killing is very inflammatory, providing the possibility to create an anti-cancer immune response. These agents are often known as ‘oncolytic vaccines’.
Finally our viruses can be 'armed' to encode additional therapeutic agents, to be expressed only within the tumour; this provides a simple and versatile approach to targeted cancer therapy using a range of potent biological agents.
Lead Principal Investigator
Research Theme
Selected Publications
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Actin-resistant DNAse I Expression From Oncolytic Adenovirus Enadenotucirev Enhances Its Intratumoral Spread and Reduces Tumor Growth.
Journal article
Tedcastle A. et al, (2016), Mol Ther, 24, 796 - 804
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Under Pressure: Elevated Blood Pressure Enhances Targeting of Tumors by Oncolytic Viruses.
Journal article
Seymour LW. and Fisher KD., (2016), Mol Ther, 24, 204 - 205
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In vivo characterization of the physicochemical properties of polymer-linked TLR agonists that enhance vaccine immunogenicity.
Journal article
Lynn GM. et al, (2015), Nat Biotechnol, 33, 1201 - 1210
Latest News
World’s first cancer prevention trial to test diabetes drug in patients with high-risk genetic condition
24 November 2021
Oxford researchers will lead a £2m national cancer prevention trial to assess the benefit a diabetes drug has in patients with Li Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS), a genetic condition that impacts 1 in 20,000 people worldwide and puts them at a 70-90% lifetime risk of cancer.
Advancing radiotherapy technology through clinical trials
19 November 2021
Rob Stepney participated in a radiotherapy clinical trial in Oxford in 2021. He talks about his experience on the trial and accessing a state-of-the-art machine that uses real-time imaging to improve tumour targeting.
Oxford cancer clinical trials unit receives acclaimed nursing award
13 October 2021
The nursing team at the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit has been awarded the Excellence in Cancer Research Nursing Award 2021.