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Dong Y, Zhang B, Wei Y, Murashev A, Wang S, Wu Y, Ma W, Liu T. Development of Cas13a-based therapy for cancer treatment. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:94. [PMID: 38194206 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-09129-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Gene therapy has become a major focus of current biomedical research. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Inter spaced Short Palindromic Repeats) systems have been extensively researched for disease treatment applications through genome editing specificity. Compared with Cas9 (CRISPR-associated proteins, Cas), a commonly used tool enzyme for genome editing, Cas13a exhibits RNA-dependent endonuclease activity, including collateral cleavage without obvious potential genetic risks. With its high specificity, Cas13a has significantly improved the sensitivity of viral diagnosis and shown potential to eliminate viruses. However, its efficacy in tumor therapy has not been determined. This review introduces the mechanism and research developments associated with the CRISPR-Cas13a system in tumor treatments and its potential to be used as a new tool for gene therapy. We hope more research would apply Cas13a-based therapy in cancer treatment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Dong
- Key Laboratory of Antibody Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Bingyang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Antibody Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yi Wei
- Key Laboratory of Antibody Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Arkady Murashev
- Biological Testing Center of Shamyakin and Ovchimnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, 142290, Russian Federation
| | - Suihai Wang
- Key Laboratory of Antibody Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yingsong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Antibody Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Weifeng Ma
- Department of Microbiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
| | - Tiancai Liu
- Key Laboratory of Antibody Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Rd, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- Provincial Key Laboratory of Immune Regulation and Immunotherapy, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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2
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Orlova OV, Glazkova DV, Mintaev RR, Tsyganova GM, Urusov FA, Shipulin GA, Bogoslovskaya EV. Comparative Evaluation of the Activity of Various Lentiviral Vectors Containing Three Anti-HIV Genes. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11041053. [PMID: 37110476 PMCID: PMC10141122 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11041053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A promising direction in the treatment of HIV infection is a gene therapy approach based on the insertion of antiviral genes aimed at inhibiting HIV replication into the genome of host cells. We obtained six constructs of lentiviral vectors with different arrangements of three antiviral genes: microRNAs against the CCR5 gene, the gene encoding the C-peptide, and the gene encoding the modified human TRIM5a protein. We found that despite containing the same genes, these vectors were produced at different titers and had different effects on cell viability, transduction efficiency, and expression stability. Comparative evaluation of the antiviral activity of three of the six developed vectors that showed stable expression was carried out using the continuous SupT1 lymphocytic cell line. All of the vectors protected cells from HIV infection: the viral load was several orders of magnitude lower than in control cells, and with one vector, complete cessation of virus growth in modified cells was achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Vladimirovna Orlova
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dina Viktorovna Glazkova
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ramil Rafailovich Mintaev
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina Mikhailovna Tsyganova
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - Felix Anatolevich Urusov
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - German Alexandrovich Shipulin
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Vladimirovna Bogoslovskaya
- Federal State Budgetary Institution "Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks" of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119121 Moscow, Russia
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3
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Vamva E, Ozog S, Leaman DP, Yu-Hong Cheng R, Irons NJ, Ott A, Stoffers C, Khan I, Goebrecht GK, Gardner MR, Farzan M, Rawlings DJ, Zwick MB, James RG, Torbett BE. A lentiviral vector B cell gene therapy platform for the delivery of the anti-HIV-1 eCD4-Ig-knob-in-hole-reversed immunoadhesin. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 28:366-384. [PMID: 36879849 PMCID: PMC9984920 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Barriers to effective gene therapy for many diseases include the number of modified target cells required to achieve therapeutic outcomes and host immune responses to expressed therapeutic proteins. As long-lived cells specialized for protein secretion, antibody-secreting B cells are an attractive target for foreign protein expression in blood and tissue. To neutralize HIV-1, we developed a lentiviral vector (LV) gene therapy platform for delivery of the anti-HIV-1 immunoadhesin, eCD4-Ig, to B cells. The EμB29 enhancer/promoter in the LV limited gene expression in non-B cell lineages. By engineering a knob-in-hole-reversed (KiHR) modification in the CH3-Fc eCD4-Ig domain, we reduced interactions between eCD4-Ig and endogenous B cell immunoglobulin G proteins, which improved HIV-1 neutralization potency. Unlike previous approaches in non-lymphoid cells, eCD4-Ig-KiHR produced in B cells promoted HIV-1 neutralizing protection without requiring exogenous TPST2, a tyrosine sulfation enzyme required for eCD4-Ig-KiHR function. This finding indicated that B cell machinery is well suited to produce therapeutic proteins. Lastly, to overcome the inefficient transduction efficiency associated with VSV-G LV delivery to primary B cells, an optimized measles pseudotyped LV packaging methodology achieved up to 75% transduction efficiency. Overall, our findings support the utility of B cell gene therapy platforms for therapeutic protein delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Vamva
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stosh Ozog
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Daniel P. Leaman
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rene Yu-Hong Cheng
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Irons
- Department of Statistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andee Ott
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Claire Stoffers
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Iram Khan
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Matthew R. Gardner
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Michael Farzan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - David J. Rawlings
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael B. Zwick
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Richard G. James
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Bruce E. Torbett
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
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4
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Dubé K, Kanazawa J, Patel H, Louella M, Sylla L, Sheehy J, Dee L, Taylor J, Adair J, Anthony-Gonda K, Dropulić B, Sauceda JA, Peluso MJ, Deeks SG, Simoni J. Ethical and practical considerations for cell and gene therapy toward an HIV cure: findings from a qualitative in-depth interview study in the United States. BMC Med Ethics 2022; 23:39. [PMID: 35397551 PMCID: PMC8994300 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-022-00780-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV cure research involving cell and gene therapy has intensified in recent years. There is a growing need to identify ethical standards and safeguards to ensure cell and gene therapy (CGT) HIV cure research remains valued and acceptable to as many stakeholders as possible as it advances on a global scale. METHODS To elicit preliminary ethical and practical considerations to guide CGT HIV cure research, we implemented a qualitative, in-depth interview study with three key stakeholder groups in the United States: (1) biomedical HIV cure researchers, (2) bioethicists, and (3) community stakeholders. Interviews permitted evaluation of informants' perspectives on how CGT HIV cure research should ethically occur, and were transcribed verbatim. We applied conventional content analysis focused on inductive reasoning to analyze the rich qualitative data and derive key ethical and practical considerations related to CGT towards an HIV cure. RESULTS We interviewed 13 biomedical researchers, 5 community members, and 1 bioethicist. Informants generated considerations related to: perceived benefits of CGT towards an HIV cure, perceived risks, considerations necessary to ensure an acceptable benefit/risk balance, CGT strategies considered unacceptable, additional ethical considerations, and considerations for first-in-human CGT HIV cure trials. Informants also proposed important safeguards to developing CGT approaches towards an HIV cure, such as the importance of mitigating off-target effects, mitigating risks associated with long-term duration of CGT interventions, and mitigating risks of immune overreactions. CONCLUSION Our study identified preliminary considerations for CGT-based HIV cure across three key stakeholder groups. Respondents identified an ideal cure strategy as one which would durably control HIV infection, protect the individual from re-acquisition, and eliminate transmission to others. Known and unknown risks should be anticipated and perceived as learning opportunities to preserve and honor the altruism of participants. Preclinical studies should support these considerations and be transparently reviewed by regulatory experts and peers prior to first-in-human studies. To protect the public trust in CGT HIV cure research, ethical and practical considerations should be periodically revisited and updated as the science continues to evolve. Additional ethics studies are required to expand stakeholder participation to include traditionally marginalized groups and clinical care providers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 USA
| | - John Kanazawa
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Hursch Patel
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Michael Louella
- defeatHIV Collaboratory, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, E5-110, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
| | - Laurie Sylla
- defeatHIV Collaboratory, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, E5-110, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
| | - Jeff Sheehy
- Independent Consultant, 1999 Harrison Street, Suite 1650, Oakland, CA 94612 USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, 14 East Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 USA
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
- HIV + Aging Research Project – Palm Springs (HARP-PS), 1775 East Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 110-349, Palm Springs, CA 92264 USA
| | - Jen Adair
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue N, Seattle, WA USA
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, 825 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Kim Anthony-Gonda
- Caring Cross, 708 Quince Orchard Road, Suite 250D, Gaithersburg, MD USA
| | - Boro Dropulić
- Caring Cross, 708 Quince Orchard Road, Suite 250D, Gaithersburg, MD USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Department of Medicine, Division of Prevention Science, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | - Michael J. Peluso
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital, Ward 84, Building 80, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital, Ward 84, Building 80, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Jane Simoni
- Departments of Psychology and Global Health, University of Washington, 3909 Stevens Way CE, Box 351525, Seattle, WA USA
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5
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Dubé K, Kanazawa J, Taylor J, Dee L, Jones N, Roebuck C, Sylla L, Louella M, Kosmyna J, Kelly D, Clanton O, Palm D, Campbell DM, Onaiwu MG, Patel H, Ndukwe S, Henley L, Johnson MO, Saberi P, Brown B, Sauceda JA, Sugarman J. Ethics of HIV cure research: an unfinished agenda. BMC Med Ethics 2021; 22:83. [PMID: 34193141 PMCID: PMC8243312 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00651-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The pursuit of a cure for HIV is a high priority for researchers, funding agencies, governments and people living with HIV (PLWH). To date, over 250 biomedical studies worldwide are or have been related to discovering a safe, effective, and scalable HIV cure, most of which are early translational research and experimental medicine. As HIV cure research increases, it is critical to identify and address the ethical challenges posed by this research. Methods We conducted a scoping review of the growing HIV cure research ethics literature, focusing on articles published in English peer-reviewed journals from 2013 to 2021. We extracted and summarized key developments in the ethics of HIV cure research. Twelve community advocates actively engaged in HIV cure research provided input on this summary and suggested areas warranting further ethical inquiry and foresight via email exchange and video conferencing. Discussion Despite substantial scholarship related to the ethics of HIV cure research, additional attention should focus on emerging issues in six categories of ethical issues: (1) social value (ongoing and emerging biomedical research and scalability considerations); (2) scientific validity (study design issues, such as the use of analytical treatment interruptions and placebos); (3) fair selection of participants (equity and justice considerations); (4) favorable benefit/risk balance (early phase research, benefit-risk balance, risk perception, psychological risks, and pediatric research); (5) informed consent (attention to language, decision-making, informed consent processes and scientific uncertainty); and (6) respect for enrolled participants and community (perspectives of people living with HIV and affected communities and representation). Conclusion HIV cure research ethics has an unfinished agenda. Scientific research and bioethics should work in tandem to advance ethical HIV cure research. Because the science of HIV cure research will continue to rapidly advance, ethical considerations of the major themes we identified will need to be revisited and refined over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA.
| | - John Kanazawa
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- HIV + Aging Research Project - Palm Springs (HARP-PS), Palm Springs, CA, USA.,AntiViral Research Center (AVRC) Community Advisory Board (CAB), San Diego, CA, USA.,Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE) CAB, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nora Jones
- BEAT-HIV Collaboratory CAB, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jan Kosmyna
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Subcommittee (CSS) Ethics Working Group, Nationwide, USA
| | - David Kelly
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Subcommittee (CSS) Ethics Working Group, Nationwide, USA
| | - Orbit Clanton
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group Global CAB, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - David Palm
- Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE) CAB, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases HIV Treatment and Prevention CAB, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Danielle M Campbell
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), San Francisco, CA, USA.,Charles R. Drew College of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Morénike Giwa Onaiwu
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Subcommittee (CSS) Ethics Working Group, Nationwide, USA.,Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (School of Humanities), Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hursch Patel
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Samuel Ndukwe
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Laney Henley
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Mallory O Johnson
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Parya Saberi
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brandon Brown
- Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, Center for Healthy Communities, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - John A Sauceda
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, Baltimore, MD, USA
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6
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Could gene therapy cure HIV? Life Sci 2021; 277:119451. [PMID: 33811896 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed almost 33 million lives so far. According to the recent report of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, about 38 million people are living with AIDS. Hence, finding a solution to overcome this life-threatening virus can save millions of lives. Scientists and medical doctors have prescribed HIV patients with specific drugs for many years. Methods such antiretroviral therapy (ART) or latency-reversing agents (LRAs) have been used for a while to treat HIV patients, however they have some side effects and drawbacks causing their application to be not quite successful. Instead, the application of gene therapy which refers to the utilization of the therapeutic delivery of nucleic acids into a patient's cells as a drug to treat disease has shown promising results to control HIV infection. Therefore, in this review, we will summarize recent advances in gene therapy approach against HIV.
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7
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Moranguinho I, Valente ST. Block-And-Lock: New Horizons for a Cure for HIV-1. Viruses 2020; 12:v12121443. [PMID: 33334019 PMCID: PMC7765451 DOI: 10.3390/v12121443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1/AIDS remains a global public health problem. The world health organization (WHO) reported at the end of 2019 that 38 million people were living with HIV-1 worldwide, of which only 67% were accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite great success in the clinical management of HIV-1 infection, ART does not eliminate the virus from the host genome. Instead, HIV-1 remains latent as a viral reservoir in any tissue containing resting memory CD4+ T cells. The elimination of these residual proviruses that can reseed full-blown infection upon treatment interruption remains the major barrier towards curing HIV-1. Novel approaches have recently been developed to excise or disrupt the virus from the host cells (e.g., gene editing with the CRISPR-Cas system) to permanently shut off transcription of the virus (block-and-lock and RNA interference strategies), or to reactivate the virus from cell reservoirs so that it can be eliminated by the immune system or cytopathic effects (shock-and-kill strategy). Here, we will review each of these approaches, with the major focus placed on the block-and-lock strategy.
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8
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Almeida MJ, Matos A. Designer Nucleases: Gene-Editing Therapies using CCR5 as an Emerging Target in HIV. Curr HIV Res 2020; 17:306-323. [PMID: 31652113 DOI: 10.2174/1570162x17666191025112918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is a life-threatening disorder that persists worldwide as a severe health problem. Since it was linked with the HIV attachment process, the Chemokine receptor, CCR5, has been at the development leading edge of several gene-based therapies. Given the shortcomings of the current antiretroviral treatment procedure and the non-availability of a licensed vaccine, the aptitude to modify complex genomes with Designer Nucleases has had a noteworthy impact on biotechnology. Over the last years, ZFN, TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology have appeared as a promising solution that mimics the naturally occurring CCR5/Δ32 mutation and permanently guarantees the absence of CCR5-expression on the surface of HIV target-cells, leading to a continuous resistance to the virus entry and, ultimately, proving that cellular immunization from infection could be, in fact, a conceivable therapeutic approach to finally achieve the long-awaited functional cure of HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Almeida
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana Matos
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Research Centre on Chemical Processes Engineering and Forest Products (CIEPQF), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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9
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Abstract
Purpose of review Several promising experimental pathways exist for long-term control of HIV in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (HIV ‘remission’) and are now being tested in early clinical studies. These studies can be invasive and pose a host of distinctive risks to participants, as well as to nonparticipants, especially to participants’ fetuses, and sexual partners. Recent findings Ethical analyses of these studies have mainly focused on the risks to study participants. They recommend, and some investigators implement, procedures to mitigate risks for participants or to offset them with direct, indirect, and nonmedical benefits. They also suggest ways to keep participants’ consent highly voluntary and informed. Rarely do ethicists propose keeping the social value of studies high. Of these recommended responses, only the latter, rarer proposals help address the risk to nonparticipants, as would some novel ways to address that risk. Summary HIV remission studies pose a number of ethical dilemmas. Many current investigative approaches put the participant at significant risk, but well established guidelines exist for mitigating this risk. Ethical issues that are not being fully addressed include risk to nonparticipants and the need to consider the societal value of studies, for example, their prospective impact on the global HIV burden. Video abstract
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10
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Wang J, Holmes MC. Engineering hematopoietic stem cells toward a functional cure of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Cytotherapy 2017; 18:1370-1381. [PMID: 27745602 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2016.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The battle with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been ongoing for more than 30 years, and although progress has been made, there are still significant challenges remaining. A few unique features render HIV to be one of the toughest viruses to conquer in the modern medicine era, such as the ability to target the host immune system, persist by integrating into the host genome and adapt to a hostile environment such as a single anti-HIV medication by continuously evolving. The finding of combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART) about 2 decades ago has transformed the treatment options for HIV-infected patients and significantly improved patient outcomes. However, finding an HIV cure has proven to be extremely challenging with the only known exception being the so-called "Berlin patient," whose immune system was replaced by stem cell transplants from a donor missing one of HIV's key co-receptors (CCR5). The broad application of this approach is limited by the requirement of an HLA-matched donor who is also homozygous for the rare CCR5 delta32 deletion. On the other hand, the Berlin patient provided the proof of concept of a potential cure for HIV using HIV-resistant hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), revitalizing the hope to find an HIV cure that is broadly applicable. Here we will review strategies and recent attempts to engineer HIV-resistant HSCs as a path to an HIV cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbin Wang
- Sangamo BioSciences Inc., Richmond, California, USA.
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11
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Brown R, Evans NG. The social value of candidate HIV cures: actualism versus possibilism. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2017; 43:118-123. [PMID: 27402887 PMCID: PMC5293842 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2015-103125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
A sterilising or functional cure for HIV is a serious scientific challenge but presents a viable pathway to the eradication of HIV. Such an event would be extremely valuable in terms of relieving the burden of a terrible disease; however, a coordinated commitment to implement healthcare interventions, particularly in regions that bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic, is lacking. In this paper, we examine two strategies for evaluating candidate HIV cures, based on our beliefs about the likelihood of global implementation. We reject possibilist interpretations of social value that do not account for the likelihood that a plan to cure HIV will be followed through. We argue, instead, for an actualist ranking of options for action, which accounts for the likelihood that a cure will be low cost, scalable and easy to administer worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Brown
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nicholas Greig Evans
- Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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12
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RD-MolPack technology for the constitutive production of self-inactivating lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with the nontoxic RD114-TR envelope. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2016; 3:16033. [PMID: 27222840 PMCID: PMC4863723 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2016.33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Revised: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
To date, gene therapy with transiently derived lentivectors has been very successful to cure rare infant genetic diseases. However, transient manufacturing is unfeasible to treat adult malignancies because large vector lots are required. By contrast, stable manufacturing is the best option for high-incidence diseases since it reduces the production cost, which is the major current limitation to scale up the transient methods. We have previously developed the proprietary RD2-MolPack technology for the stable production of second-generation lentivectors, based on the RD114-TR envelope. Of note, opposite to vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G) envelope, RD114-TR does not need inducible expression thanks to lack of toxicity. Here, we present the construction of RD2- and RD3-MolPack cells for the production of self-inactivating lentivectors expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a proof-of-concept of the feasibility and safety of this technology before its later therapeutic exploitation. We report that human T lymphocytes transduced with self-inactivating lentivectors derived from RD3-MolPack cells or with self-inactivating VSV-G pseudotyped lentivectors derived from transient transfection show identical T-cell memory differentiation phenotype and comparable transduction efficiency in all T-cell subsets. RD-MolPack technology represents, therefore, a straightforward tool to simplify and standardize lentivector manufacturing to engineer T-cells for frontline immunotherapy applications.
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13
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Peterson CW, Haworth KG, Burke BP, Polacino P, Norman KK, Adair JE, Hu SL, Bartlett JS, Symonds GP, Kiem HP. Multilineage polyclonal engraftment of Cal-1 gene-modified cells and in vivo selection after SHIV infection in a nonhuman primate model of AIDS. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2016; 3:16007. [PMID: 26958575 PMCID: PMC4765711 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2016.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
We have focused on gene therapy approaches to induce functional cure/remission of HIV-1 infection. Here, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of the clinical grade anti-HIV lentiviral vector, Cal-1, in pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina). Cal-1 animals exhibit robust levels of gene marking in myeloid and lymphoid lineages without measurable adverse events, suggesting that Cal-1 transduction and autologous transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells are safe, and lead to long-term, multilineage engraftment following myeloablative conditioning. Ex vivo, CD4+ cells from transplanted animals undergo positive selection in the presence of simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV). In vivo, Cal-1 gene-marked cells are evident in the peripheral blood and in HIV-relevant tissue sites such as the gastrointestinal tract. Positive selection for gene-marked cells is observed in blood and tissues following SHIV challenge, leading to maintenance of peripheral blood CD4+ T-cell counts in a normal range. Analysis of Cal-1 lentivirus integration sites confirms polyclonal engraftment of gene-marked cells. Following infection, a polyclonal, SHIV-resistant clonal repertoire is established. These findings offer strong preclinical evidence for safety and efficacy of Cal-1, present a new method for tracking protected cells over the course of virus-mediated selective pressure in vivo, and reveal previously unobserved dynamics of virus-dependent T-cell selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Peterson
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Kevin G Haworth
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Patricia Polacino
- Washington National Primate Research Center , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Krystin K Norman
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jennifer E Adair
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Shiu-Lok Hu
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA; Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | | | - Hans-Peter Kiem
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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14
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The HIV cure research agenda: the role of mathematical modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis. J Virus Erad 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/s2055-6640(20)30929-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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15
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Freedberg KA, Possas C, Deeks S, Ross AL, Rosettie KL, Di Mascio M, Collins C, Walensky RP, Yazdanpanah Y. The HIV Cure Research Agenda: The Role of Mathematical Modelling and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. J Virus Erad 2015; 1:245-249. [PMID: 26878073 PMCID: PMC4748959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The research agenda towards an HIV cure is building rapidly. In this article, we discuss the reasons for and methodological approach to using mathematical modeling and cost-effectiveness analysis in this agenda. We provide a brief description of the proof of concept for cure and the current directions of cure research. We then review the types of clinical economic evaluations, including cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis. We describe the use of mathematical modeling and cost-effectiveness analysis early in the HIV epidemic as well as in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy. We then highlight the novel methodology of Value of Information analysis and its potential role in the planning of clinical trials. We close with recommendations for modeling and cost-effectiveness analysis in the HIV cure agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Freedberg
- Corresponding author: Kenneth A Freedberg,
Medical Practice Evaluation Center,
Massachusetts General Hospital,
50 Staniford Street, Suite 901,
Boston,
MA02114,
USA
| | - Cristina Possas
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Bio-Manguinhos,
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
| | | | - Anna Laura Ross
- International and Scientific Relations Office, ANRS,
Paris,
France
- International AIDS Society,
Geneva,
Switzerland
| | - Katherine L Rosettie
- Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease,
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine,
Massachusetts General Hospital
| | - Michele Di Mascio
- Division of Clinical Research,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services,
Bethesda,
MD,
USA
| | - Chris Collins
- Community Mobilization Division,
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS),
Geneva,
Switzerland
| | - Rochelle P Walensky
- Division of Infectious Disease,
Brigham and Women's Hospital,
Boston,
MA,
USA
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16
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Combinatorial hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and vaccination reduces viral pathogenesis following SHIV89.6P-challenge. Gene Ther 2015; 22:1007-12. [PMID: 26355737 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2015.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 04/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Development of curative approaches for HIV-1 infected patients requires novel approaches aimed at eliminating viral reservoirs and replacing potential target cells with infection-resistant immune cell populations. We have previously shown that autologous transplantation of genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with lentiviral vectors encoding the mC46-fusion inhibitor results in a significant reduction in viral pathogenesis following challenge with the highly pathogenic dual tropic, SHIV89.6P strain. In this study, we used a combinatorial approach in which following engraftment of genetically modified HSCs, pigtailed macaques were vaccinated with a previously developed vaccinia-based vaccine expressing SIV-Gag, Pol. Using this dual therapy approach, lower viremia was detected in both the acute and chronic phase of disease with levels reaching near the lower limits of detection. In comparison with macaques receiving HSCT only, the combination approach resulted in a further log decrease in plasma viremia. Similar to our previous studies, positive selection of all CD4(+) T-cell subsets was observed; however, higher gene-modified CD4(+) T-cell levels were observed during the chronic phase when vaccination was included suggesting that combining vaccination with HSCT may lower the necessary threshold for achieving viremic control.
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17
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Levine B, Leskowitz R, Davis M. Personalized gene therapy locks out HIV, paving the way to control virus without antiretroviral drugs. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2015; 15:831-43. [PMID: 25947115 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2015.1035644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Advances in adoptive immunotherapy have enabled gene therapy approaches to be tested in clinical trials that involve the transfer of engineered immune cells to specifically target HIV-infected cells or block HIV infection or transmission. Genetic editing through engineered targeted nucleases provides a method for producing cells that are permanently resistant to HIV. AREAS COVERED Here, we discuss current and developing gene therapy approaches aimed to confer resistance to HIV infection at the cellular level by targeting viral or cellular elements, with a focus on gene editing strategies that target viral entry. Human gene therapy trials in HIV infection are reviewed. EXPERT OPINION In concept, a single infusion of genetically modified cells could potentially reduce the need for lifelong medication by providing long-term control over the virus (functional immunity). While the dream of completely eliminating viral reservoirs (sterilizing immunity) is appealing, this presents a significant additional hurdle and may not be necessary to improve long-term health. A single infusion, or a small number of infusions, of engineered cells may be shown in confirmatory clinical trials to produce a meaningful biologic effect. These techniques have implications for targeted gene therapy in HIV and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Levine
- University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, PA , USA
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18
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Li C, Guan X, Du T, Jin W, Wu B, Liu Y, Wang P, Hu B, Griffin GE, Shattock RJ, Hu Q. Inhibition of HIV-1 infection of primary CD4+ T-cells by gene editing of CCR5 using adenovirus-delivered CRISPR/Cas9. J Gen Virol 2015; 96:2381-2393. [PMID: 25854553 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.000139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
CCR5 serves as an essential coreceptor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry, and individuals with a CCR5(Δ32) variant appear to be healthy, making CCR5 an attractive target for control of HIV-1 infection. The CRISPR/Cas9, which functions as a naturally existing adaptive immune system in prokaryotes, has been recently harnessed as a novel nuclease system for genome editing in mammalian cells. Although CRISPR/Cas9 can be readily delivered into cell lines, due to the large size of the Cas9 protein, efficient delivery of CCR5-targeting CRISPR/Cas9 components into primary cells, including CD4(+) T-cells, the primary target for HIV-1 infection in vivo, remains a challenge. In the current study, following design of a panel of top-ranked single-guided RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting the ORF of CCR5, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9 can efficiently mediate the editing of the CCR5 locus in cell lines, resulting in the knockout of CCR5 expression on the cell surface. Next-generation sequencing revealed that various mutations were introduced around the predicted cleavage site of CCR5. For each of the three most effective sgRNAs that we analysed, no significant off-target effects were detected at the 15 top-scoring potential sites. More importantly, by constructing chimeric Ad5F35 adenoviruses carrying CRISPR/Cas9 components, we efficiently transduced primary CD4(+) T-lymphocytes and disrupted CCR5 expression, and the positively transduced cells were conferred with HIV-1 resistance. To our knowledge, this is the first study establishing HIV-1 resistance in primary CD4(+) T-cells utilizing adenovirus-delivered CRISPR/Cas9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Xinmeng Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Tao Du
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Wei Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Biao Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Wuhan No.1 Hospital, Wuhan 430022, PR China
| | - Yalan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Ping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Bodan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - George E Griffin
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Robin J Shattock
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London W2 1PG, UK
| | - Qinxue Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.,Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK
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19
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Abou-El-Enein M, Bauer G, Reinke P, Renner M, Schneider CK. A roadmap toward clinical translation of genetically-modified stem cells for treatment of HIV. Trends Mol Med 2014; 20:632-42. [PMID: 25262540 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2014.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
During the past decade, successful gene therapies for immunodeficiencies were finally brought to the clinic. This was accomplished through new gene therapy vectors and improved procedures for genetic modification of autologous hematopoietic stem cells. For HIV, autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy with 'anti-HIV genes' promises a functional cure for the disease. However, to develop such a therapy and translate it into a clinical application is rather challenging. The risks and benefits of such a therapy have to be understood, and regulatory hurdles need to be overcome. In this joint paper by academic researchers and regulators, we are, therefore, outlining a high level roadmap for the early stage development of HSC gene therapy as a potential functional cure for HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Abou-El-Enein
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany; Department of Nephrology and Internal Intensive Care, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Gerhard Bauer
- University of California Davis, Institute For Regenerative Cures (IRC) Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Petra Reinke
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany; Department of Nephrology and Internal Intensive Care, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Renner
- Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 51-59, D-63225 Langen, Germany
| | - Christian K Schneider
- Formerly Committee for Advanced Therapies, European Medicines Agency, 7, Westferry Circus E14 4HB, London, UK; Danish Health and Medicines Authority, Axel Heides Gade 1, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark; Twincore Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 730625 Hannover, Germany
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20
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Chung J, Scherer LJ, Gu A, Gardner AM, Torres-Coronado M, Epps EW, DiGiusto DL, Rossi JJ. Optimized lentiviral vectors for HIV gene therapy: multiplexed expression of small RNAs and inclusion of MGMT(P140K) drug resistance gene. Mol Ther 2014; 22:952-63. [PMID: 24576853 PMCID: PMC4015224 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2014.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene therapy with hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is a promising approach to engineering immunity to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that may lead to a functional cure for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In support of this approach, we created lentiviral vectors with an engineered polycistronic platform derived from the endogenous MCM7 gene to express a diverse set of small antiviral RNAs and a drug resistance MGMT(P140K) marker. Multiple strategies for simultaneous expression of up to five RNA transgenes were tested. The placement and orientation of each transgene and its promoter were important determinants for optimal gene expression. Antiviral RNA expression from the MCM7 platform with a U1 promoter was sufficient to provide protection from R5-tropic HIV in macrophages and resulted in reduced hematopoietic toxicity compared with constructs expressing RNA from independent RNA polymerase III promoters. The addition of an HIV entry inhibitor and nucleolar TAR RNA decoy did not enhance antiviral potency over constructs that targeted only viral RNA transcripts. We also demonstrated selective enrichment of gene-modified cells in vivo using a humanized mouse model. The use of these less toxic, potent anti-HIV vectors expressing a drug selection marker is likely to enhance the in vivo efficacy of our stem cell gene therapy approach in treating HIV/AIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Chung
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Lisa J Scherer
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Angel Gu
- Laboratory for Cellular Medicine, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Agnes M Gardner
- Laboratory for Cellular Medicine, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Monica Torres-Coronado
- Laboratory for Cellular Medicine, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth W Epps
- Laboratory for Cellular Medicine, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - David L DiGiusto
- Laboratory for Cellular Medicine, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
- Department of Virology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - John J Rossi
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
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