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
Funding to research metformin’s ability to delay or prevent cancers driven by the mutated TP53 gene
29 September 2022
A research project embedded within the Metformin in Li Fraumeni (MILI) trial will investigate metformin’s mechanism of action when taken as a preventative for mTP53-driven cancers.
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.