How viruses infect cells is key to developing safe oncolytic viral therapies. In this post we discuss how viruses can be engineered to target cancer cells. The infection process begins when a virus recognizes and attaches to a host cell. This attachment is typically mediated by viral proteins known as glycoproteins, which specifically bind to receptors on the surface of the target cell. These glycoproteins act like keys, unlocking the door to the cell by interacting with specific cell surface…