Research Interest

Oncolytic viruses

Immunomodulating drugs in cancer therapy

Development of CAR T-cell therapy in combination with oncolytic viruses for treatment of solid tumors

Preclinical drug development

Investigational New Drug application

Clinical trials design and management

Biotechnology startups

Research Summary

Prof Hwang’s lab focuses on the development of anticancer immunotherapy and cell therapy. His innovative researches have led to the development of recombinant oncolytic viruses displaying enhanced tumor selectivity and carrying a proliferation control system. Oncolytic virotherapy is a major component of cancer gene therapy and has recently attracted significant attention as a new alternative to patients with no-responding tumors.

The purpose of his lab is to develop strategic therapy which allows the improvement of tumor microenvironment immune profiles through the induction of adaptive immune response by combining a recombinant oncolytic virus and an immunomodulatory drug. The biochemical properties and the phenotype of innate immune cells that proliferate specifically following oncolytic viruses administration together with studies to control their replication are regularly investigated. In addition, to overcome the limitations of existing cancer chemotherapy and cell therapy, his lab is developing a CAR T-cell therapy based on oncolytic virus antigens in solid tumors combined with antigen-targeting T-cells.

Selected Publications

1. Comparative efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. PLoS Med 17(12):e1003501. 2020 Dec 30

2. Engineering and Preclinical Evaluation of Western Reserve Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Expressing A167Y Mutant Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase. Biomedicines 2020 Oct; 8(10): 426. 2020 Oct 16

3. Pretreatment peripheral neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes predict long-term survival in hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2020; 20: 937. 2020 Sep 29

4. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio predicts the therapeutic benefit of neoadjuvant transarterial chemoembolization in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Sep;32(9):1186-1191.

5. Engineering and Characterization of Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Expressing Truncated Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Jan 17;12(1):228.

6. Characterization of Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus Harboring the Human IFNB1 and CES2 Transgenes. Cancer Res Treat. 2020 Jan;52(1):309-319.Epub 2019 Aug 6.

7. Changes in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predict the prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019 Oct;31(10):1250-1255.

8. Preclinical safety evaluation of hepatic arterial infusion of oncolytic poxvirus. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018 Aug 8;12:2467-2474.

9. Gene expression profiling of hematologic malignant cell lines resistant to oncolytic virus treatment. Oncotarget. 2017 Jan 3;8(1):1213-1225.

10. Phase 1 study of intratumoral Pexa-Vec (JX-594), an oncolytic and immunotherapeutic vaccinia virus, in pediatric cancer patients. Mol Ther. 2015 Mar;23(3):602-8. doi: 10.1038/mt.2014.243. Epub 2014 Dec 22.

11. Oncolytic and immunotherapeutic vaccinia induces antibody-mediated complement-dependent cancer cell lysis in humans. Sci Transl Med. 2013 May 15;5(185):185ra63.

12. Randomized dose-finding clinical trial of oncolytic immunotherapeutic vaccinia JX-594 in liver cancer. Nat Med. 2013 Mar;19(3):329-36. doi: 10.1038/nm.3089. Epub 2013 Feb 10.

13. Intravenous delivery of a multi-mechanistic cancer-targeted oncolytic poxvirus in humans. Nature. 2011 Aug 31; 477(7362):99-102. doi: 10.1038/nature10358.

14. Use of a targeted oncolytic poxvirus, JX-594, in patients with refractory primary or metastatic liver cancer: a phase I trial. Lancet Oncol. 2008 Jun;9(6):533-42. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(08)70107-4. Epub 2008 May 19.