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O’Callaghan J, Delaney C, O’Connor M, van Batenburg-Sherwood J, Schicht M, Lütjen-Drecoll E, Hudson N, Ni Dhubhghaill S, Humphries P, Stanley C, Keravala A, Chalberg T, Lawrence MS, Campbell M. Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3)-mediated gene therapy for glaucoma. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf6537. [PMID: 37075118 PMCID: PMC10115410 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf6537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Approximately 80 million people globally are affected by glaucoma, with a projected increase to over 110 million by 2040. Substantial issues surrounding patient compliance remain with topical eye drops, and up to 10% of patients become treatment resistant, putting them at risk of permanent vision loss. The major risk factor for glaucoma is elevated intraocular pressure, which is regulated by the balance between the secretion of aqueous humor and the resistance to its flow across the conventional outflow pathway. Here, we show that adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-mediated expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) can increase outflow in two murine models of glaucoma and in nonhuman primates. We show that long-term AAV9 transduction of the corneal endothelium in the nonhuman primate is safe and well tolerated. Last, MMP-3 increases outflow in donor human eyes. Collectively, our data suggest that glaucoma can be readily treated with gene therapy-based methods, paving the way for deployment in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Conor Delaney
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | | | | | - Martin Schicht
- Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, University of Erlangen-Nuremburg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Elke Lütjen-Drecoll
- Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, University of Erlangen-Nuremburg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Natalie Hudson
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | | | - Peter Humphries
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | | | | | | | | | - Matthew Campbell
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Corresponding author.
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Alvarez-Rivera F, Rey-Rico A, Venkatesan JK, Diaz-Gomez L, Cucchiarini M, Concheiro A, Alvarez-Lorenzo C. Controlled Release of rAAV Vectors from APMA-Functionalized Contact Lenses for Corneal Gene Therapy. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12040335. [PMID: 32283694 PMCID: PMC7238179 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12040335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
As an alternative to eye drops and ocular injections for gene therapy, the aim of this work was to design for the first time hydrogel contact lenses that can act as platforms for the controlled delivery of viral vectors (recombinant adeno-associated virus, rAAV) to the eye in an effective way with improved patient compliance. Hydrogels of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with aminopropyl methacrylamide (APMA) (H1: 40, and H2: 80 mM) or without (Hc: 0 mM) were synthesized, sterilized by steam heat (121 °C, 20 min), and then tested for gene therapy using rAAV vectors to deliver the genes to the cornea. The hydrogels showed adequate light transparency, oxygen permeability, and swelling for use as contact lenses. Loading of viral vectors (rAAV-lacZ, rAAV-RFP, or rAAV-hIGF-I) was carried out at 4 °C to maintain viral vector titer. Release in culture medium was monitored by fluorescence with Cy3-rAAV-lacZ and AAV Titration ELISA. Transduction efficacy was tested through reporter genes lacZ and RFP in human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). lacZ was detected with X-Gal staining and quantified with Beta-Glo®, and RFP was monitored by fluorescence. The ability of rAAV-hIGF-I-loaded hydrogels to trigger cell proliferation in hMSCs was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Finally, the ability of rAAV-lacZ-loaded hydrogels to transduce bovine cornea was confirmed through detection with X-Gal staining of β-galactosidase expressed within the tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Alvarez-Rivera
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, I+DFarma, Facultad de Farmacia and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; (F.A.-R.); (L.D.-G.); (A.C.)
| | - Ana Rey-Rico
- Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), Universidade da Coruña, Campus de A Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, Spain;
| | - Jagadeesh K Venkatesan
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (J.K.V.); (M.C.)
| | - Luis Diaz-Gomez
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, I+DFarma, Facultad de Farmacia and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; (F.A.-R.); (L.D.-G.); (A.C.)
| | - Magali Cucchiarini
- Center of Experimental Orthopaedics, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany; (J.K.V.); (M.C.)
| | - Angel Concheiro
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, I+DFarma, Facultad de Farmacia and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; (F.A.-R.); (L.D.-G.); (A.C.)
| | - Carmen Alvarez-Lorenzo
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, I+DFarma, Facultad de Farmacia and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; (F.A.-R.); (L.D.-G.); (A.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-881815239
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