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Viruses as Therapeutic Tools: Medical and Biotechnological Applications
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Viruses as Therapeutic Tools: Medical and Biotechnological Applications

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1785

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Víctor Romanowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular (IBBM, UNLP-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata B1900, Argentina
Interests: human virology; insect virology; host-pathogen interactions; arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers; infectious diseases; viral infections; emerging infectious diseases; molecular diagnosis; virus-derived expression systems; recombinant vaccines; gene therapy vectors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite viral infections being responsible for many diseases, viruses have increasingly become powerful allies in basic and applied research. Understanding virus–host interactions and how the immune system prevents and eliminates viral infections is essential for developing therapeutic approaches and vaccines to protect against these diseases. Furthermore, viruses have become powerful biotechnological tools for recombinant protein expression, gene delivery, and non-infectious disease treatment, such as cancer.

This Special Issue is being overseen by Prof. Dr. Víctor Romanowski, with invaluable assistance provided by Dr. Matias Luis Pidre from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. The main objective of this Special Issue is to improve the current state of the literature by including works that explore key issues in applied virology, covering topics such as vaccine candidate development, antiviral strategies, and the use of viruses as gene therapy vectors, among others. We will also be open to receiving articles about virus–host interactions, from human viruses to animal viruses that lead to the generation of new technological tools or medical applications. We encourage you to contribute to this Special Issue: both original research and review articles are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Víctor Romanowski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • molecular virology
  • virus–host interactions
  • immunology
  • gene therapy vectors
  • vaccines
  • antivirals

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 6499 KiB  
Article
Genomic and Functional Characterization of Novel Phages Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
by Alma Karen Orozco-Ochoa, Beatriz Quiñones, Jean Pierre González-Gómez, Nohelia Castro-del Campo, José Benigno Valdez-Torres and Cristóbal Chaidez-Quiroz
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(13), 6141; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26136141 - 26 Jun 2025
Viewed by 453
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen and a major cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. This study aimed to isolate and characterize phages with lytic activity against multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strains to enable antibacterial alternatives. Eight phages (AKO8a, PS118, B612, MCR, IDQ7, 89P13, CRL20, [...] Read more.
Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen and a major cause of nosocomial infections worldwide. This study aimed to isolate and characterize phages with lytic activity against multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strains to enable antibacterial alternatives. Eight phages (AKO8a, PS118, B612, MCR, IDQ7, 89P13, CRL20, and CIM23) were isolated and subjected to genomic, phylogenetic, and functional analyses. Antibacterial activity was assessed in vitro against A. baumannii strain AbAK04 by measuring optical density over 17 h at multiplicities of infection (MOIs) of 0.1, 1, and 10, using a repeated-measures design with time as a crossed factor and MOI as a nested factor. Tukey’s post-hoc test identified significant bacterial growth reductions of 57–72% (p < 0.001). Specifically, phages PS118 and 89P13 reduced growth by 71% at MOI 10; CIM23, B612, and CRL20 achieved 68% reduction at MOI 1; and MCR reduced growth by 64% at MOIs 0.1 and 1. Notably, lytic phage MCR encodes a glycosyl hydrolase family 58 (GH58) enzyme, potentially contributing to its antibacterial activity. Genomic analyses confirmed absence of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes, with all phages classified as novel species within the Kagunavirus genus. These findings support the use of these phages as promising candidates for in vivo evaluation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viruses as Therapeutic Tools: Medical and Biotechnological Applications)
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Review

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22 pages, 1556 KiB  
Review
Systemic Delivery Strategies for Oncolytic Viruses: Advancing Targeted and Efficient Tumor Therapy
by Yunxin Xia, Dan Li, Kai Yang and Xia Ou
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(14), 6900; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26146900 - 18 Jul 2025
Viewed by 65
Abstract
The rapid development of therapies using oncolytic viruses (OVs) has highlighted their unique advantages, such as their selective replication in tumor cells and their activation of a specific systemic antitumor immune response. However, effectively delivering OVs to tumor sites, especially solid tumor sites, [...] Read more.
The rapid development of therapies using oncolytic viruses (OVs) has highlighted their unique advantages, such as their selective replication in tumor cells and their activation of a specific systemic antitumor immune response. However, effectively delivering OVs to tumor sites, especially solid tumor sites, remains a critical challenge. Intratumoral injections face significant barriers in treating some malignant tumors in internal organs, while increasing preclinical data support the use of intravenous injections. Nevertheless, intravenously injected viral particles may be prematurely cleared by circulating antibodies or complements, resulting in a reduced virus dose effectively reaching the tumor site. Therefore, developing methods to shield viruses from the neutralizing environment of the bloodstream while heading toward tumor sites is a must. In this review, we discuss some of the most promising delivery methods for OVs currently under investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viruses as Therapeutic Tools: Medical and Biotechnological Applications)
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27 pages, 852 KiB  
Review
Neutralizing Antibodies: Role in Immune Response and Viral Vector Based Gene Therapy
by Tatiana S. Tsaregorodtseva, Aigul A. Gubaidullina, Beata R. Kayumova, Alisa A. Shaimardanova, Shaza S. Issa, Valeriya V. Solovyeva, Albert A. Sufianov, Galina Z. Sufianova and Albert A. Rizvanov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(11), 5224; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26115224 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 1054
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are an important component of the immune system, which plays a dual role in modern medicine. On the one hand, they significantly limit the effectiveness of gene therapy based on viral vectors, reducing the effectiveness of treatment of diseases such [...] Read more.
Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are an important component of the immune system, which plays a dual role in modern medicine. On the one hand, they significantly limit the effectiveness of gene therapy based on viral vectors, reducing the effectiveness of treatment of diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, which is especially evident with repeated administration of therapeutic vectors. On the other hand, nAbs is a promising tool for combating viral infections. This review systematizes current data on the mechanisms of nAbs formation against AAV vectors, analyzes the factors influencing their production, and discusses strategies to overcome this limitation, including modification of vectors and the development of methods to suppress the immune response. Special attention is paid to the prospects of using nAbs as therapeutic agents against viral infections. The key problems and possible directions of research development in this area are considered, which is important for improving approaches to the treatment of both rare genetic and infectious diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viruses as Therapeutic Tools: Medical and Biotechnological Applications)
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