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Liu Y, Dahl M, Debnath S, Rothe M, Smith EM, Grahn THM, Warsi S, Chen J, Flygare J, Schambach A, Karlsson S. Successful gene therapy of Diamond-Blackfan anemia in a mouse model and human CD34+ cord blood hematopoietic stem cells using a clinically applicable lentiviral vector. Haematologica 2021; 107:446-456. [PMID: 33440921 PMCID: PMC8804567 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2020.269142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is an inherited bone marrow failure disorder in which pure red blood cell aplasia is associated with physical malformations and a predisposition to cancer. Twentyfive percent of patients with DBA have mutations in a gene encoding ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19). Our previous proof-of-concept studies demonstrated that DBA phenotype could be successfully treated using lentiviral vectors in Rps19-deficient DBA mice. In our present study, we developed a clinically applicable single gene, self-inactivating lentiviral vector, containing the human RPS19 cDNA driven by the human elongation factor 1αshort promoter, which can be used for clinical gene therapy development for RPS19-deficient DBA. We examined the efficacy and safety of the vector in a Rps19-deficient DBA mouse model and in human primary RPS19- deficient CD34+ cord blood cells. We observed that transduced Rps19-deficient bone marrow cells could reconstitute mice long-term and rescue the bone marrow failure and severe anemia observed in Rps19-deficient mice, with a low risk of mutagenesis and a highly polyclonal insertion site pattern. More importantly, the vector can also rescue impaired erythroid differentiation in human primary RPS19-deficient CD34+ cord blood hematopoietic stem cells. Collectively, our results demonstrate the efficacy and safety of using a clinically applicable lentiviral vector for the successful treatment of Rps19-deficient DBA in a mouse model and in human primary CD34+ cord blood cells. These findings show that this vector can be used to develop clinical gene therapy for RPS19-deficient DBA patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184.
| | - Maria Dahl
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Shubhranshu Debnath
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Michael Rothe
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625
| | - Emma M Smith
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Tan Hooi Min Grahn
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Sarah Warsi
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Jun Chen
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Johan Flygare
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184
| | - Axel Schambach
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany; Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - Stefan Karlsson
- Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund 22184.
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Reference standards for accurate validation and optimization of assays that determine integrated lentiviral vector copy number in transduced cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:389. [PMID: 33431989 PMCID: PMC7801692 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79698-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LV) have emerged as a robust technology for therapeutic gene delivery into human cells as advanced medicinal products. As these products are increasingly commercialized, there are concomitant demands for their characterization to ensure safety, efficacy and consistency. Standards are essential for accurately measuring parameters for such product characterization. A critical parameter is the vector copy number (VCN) which measures the genetic dose of a transgene present in gene-modified cells. Here we describe a set of clonal Jurkat cell lines with defined copy numbers of a reference lentiviral vector integrated into their genomes. Genomic DNA was characterized for copy number, genomic integrity and integration coordinates and showed uniform performance across independent quantitative PCR assays. Stability studies during continuous long-term culture demonstrated sustained renewability of the reference standard source material. DNA from the Jurkat VCN standards would be useful for control of quantitative PCR assays for VCN determination in LV gene-modified cellular products and clinical samples.
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Analyzing the Genotoxicity of Retroviral Vectors in Hematopoietic Cell Gene Therapy. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2017; 8:21-30. [PMID: 29159200 PMCID: PMC5684499 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Retroviral vectors, including those derived from gammaretroviruses and lentiviruses, have found their way into the clinical arena and demonstrated remarkable efficacy for the treatment of immunodeficiencies, leukodystrophies, and globinopathies. Despite these successes, gene therapy unfortunately also has had to face severe adverse events in the form of leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes, related to the semi-random vector integration into the host cell genome that caused deregulation of neighboring proto-oncogenes. Although improvements in vector design clearly lowered the risk of this insertional mutagenesis, analysis of potential genotoxicity and the consequences of vector integration remain important parameters for basic and translational research and most importantly for the clinic. Here, we review current assays to analyze biodistribution and genotoxicity in the pre-clinical setting and describe tools to monitor vector integration sites in vector-treated patients as a biosafety readout.
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Kohlscheen S, Bonig H, Modlich U. Promises and Challenges in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy. Hum Gene Ther 2017; 28:782-799. [DOI: 10.1089/hum.2017.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Kohlscheen
- Research Group for Gene Modification in Stem Cells, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, Langen, Germany
| | - Halvard Bonig
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- German Red Cross Blood Service Baden-Württemberg-Hessen, Institute Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Medicine/Division of Hematology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Ute Modlich
- Research Group for Gene Modification in Stem Cells, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy Frankfurt, Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, Langen, Germany
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Everson EM, Olzsko ME, Leap DJ, Hocum JD, Trobridge GD. A comparison of foamy and lentiviral vector genotoxicity in SCID-repopulating cells shows foamy vectors are less prone to clonal dominance. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2016; 3:16048. [PMID: 27579335 PMCID: PMC4988344 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2016.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Revised: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy using retroviral vectors has immense potential, but vector-mediated genotoxicity limits use in the clinic. Lentiviral vectors are less genotoxic than gammaretroviral vectors and have become the vector of choice in clinical trials. Foamy retroviral vectors have a promising integration profile and are less prone to read-through transcription than gammaretroviral or lentiviral vectors. Here, we directly compared the safety and efficacy of foamy vectors to lentiviral vectors in human CD34(+) repopulating cells in immunodeficient mice. To increase their genotoxic potential, foamy and lentiviral vectors with identical transgene cassettes with a known genotoxic spleen focus forming virus promoter were used. Both vectors resulted in efficient marking in vivo and a total of 825 foamy and 460 lentiviral vector unique integration sites were recovered in repopulating cells 19 weeks after transplantation. Foamy vector proviruses were observed less often near RefSeq gene and proto-oncogene transcription start sites than lentiviral vectors. The foamy vector group were also more polyclonal with fewer dominant clones (two out of six mice) than the lentiviral vector group (eight out of eight mice), and only lentiviral vectors had integrants near known proto-oncogenes in dominant clones. Our data further support the relative safety of foamy vectors for HSC gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Everson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - Miles E Olzsko
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - David J Leap
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - Jonah D Hocum
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - Grant D Trobridge
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
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Ackermann M, Liebhaber S, Klusmann JH, Lachmann N. Lost in translation: pluripotent stem cell-derived hematopoiesis. EMBO Mol Med 2016; 7:1388-402. [PMID: 26174486 PMCID: PMC4644373 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201505301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) such as embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells represent a promising cell type to gain novel insights into human biology. Understanding the differentiation process of PSCs in vitro may allow for the identification of cell extrinsic/intrinsic factors, driving the specification process toward all cell types of the three germ layers, which may be similar to the human in vivo scenario. This would not only lay the ground for an improved understanding of human embryonic development but would also contribute toward the generation of novel cell types used in cell replacement therapies. In this line, especially the developmental process of mesodermal cells toward the hematopoietic lineage is of great interest. Therefore, this review highlights recent progress in the field of hematopoietic specification of pluripotent stem cell sources. In addition, we would like to shed light on emerging factors controlling primitive and definitive hematopoietic development and to highlight recent approaches to improve the differentiation potential of PSC sources toward hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. While the generation of fully defined hematopoietic stem cells from PSCs remains challenging in vitro, we here underline the instructive role of cell extrinsic factors such as cytokines for the generation of PSC-derived mature hematopoietic cells. Thus, we have comprehensively examined the role of cytokines for the derivation of mature hematopoietic cell types such as macrophages, granulocytes, megakaryocytes, erythrocytes, dendritic cells, and cells of the B- and T-cell lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mania Ackermann
- RG Reprogramming and Gene Therapy, REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany Institute of Experimental Hematology Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Steffi Liebhaber
- RG Reprogramming and Gene Therapy, REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany Institute of Experimental Hematology Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Nico Lachmann
- RG Reprogramming and Gene Therapy, REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany Institute of Experimental Hematology Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany JRG Translational Hematology of Congenital Diseases, REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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An O, Dall'Olio GM, Mourikis TP, Ciccarelli FD. NCG 5.0: updates of a manually curated repository of cancer genes and associated properties from cancer mutational screenings. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:D992-9. [PMID: 26516186 PMCID: PMC4702816 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Network of Cancer Genes (NCG, http://ncg.kcl.ac.uk/) is a manually curated repository of cancer genes derived from the scientific literature. Due to the increasing amount of cancer genomic data, we have introduced a more robust procedure to extract cancer genes from published cancer mutational screenings and two curators independently reviewed each publication. NCG release 5.0 (August 2015) collects 1571 cancer genes from 175 published studies that describe 188 mutational screenings of 13 315 cancer samples from 49 cancer types and 24 primary sites. In addition to collecting cancer genes, NCG also provides information on the experimental validation that supports the role of these genes in cancer and annotates their properties (duplicability, evolutionary origin, expression profile, function and interactions with proteins and miRNAs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer An
- Division of Cancer Studies, King's College London, London SE11UL, UK
| | | | - Thanos P Mourikis
- Division of Cancer Studies, King's College London, London SE11UL, UK
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Dahl M, Doyle A, Olsson K, Månsson JE, Marques ARA, Mirzaian M, Aerts JM, Ehinger M, Rothe M, Modlich U, Schambach A, Karlsson S. Lentiviral gene therapy using cellular promoters cures type 1 Gaucher disease in mice. Mol Ther 2015; 23:835-844. [PMID: 25655314 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2015.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Gaucher disease is caused by an inherited deficiency of the enzyme glucosylceramidase. Due to the lack of a fully functional enzyme, there is progressive build-up of the lipid component glucosylceramide. Insufficient glucosylceramidase activity results in hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias, and bone disease in patients. Gene therapy represents a future therapeutic option for patients unresponsive to enzyme replacement therapy and lacking a suitable bone marrow donor. By proof-of-principle experiments, we have previously demonstrated a reversal of symptoms in a murine disease model of type 1 Gaucher disease, using gammaretroviral vectors harboring strong viral promoters to drive glucosidase β-acid (GBA) gene expression. To investigate whether safer vectors can correct the enzyme deficiency, we utilized self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (SIN LVs) with the GBA gene under the control of human phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) and CD68 promoter, respectively. Here, we report prevention of, as well as reversal of, manifest disease symptoms after lentiviral gene transfer. Glucosylceramidase activity above levels required for clearance of glucosylceramide from tissues resulted in reversal of splenomegaly, reduced Gaucher cell infiltration and a restoration of hematological parameters. These findings support the use of SIN-LVs with cellular promoters in future clinical gene therapy protocols for type 1 Gaucher disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Dahl
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Lund Strategic Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Alexander Doyle
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Lund Strategic Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Karin Olsson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Lund Strategic Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jan-Eric Månsson
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Institute of Biomedicine, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - André R A Marques
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mina Mirzaian
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes M Aerts
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mats Ehinger
- Department of Pathology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Michael Rothe
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ute Modlich
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Axel Schambach
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefan Karlsson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Lund Strategic Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
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