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Yao S, Kasargod A, Chiu R, Torgerson TR, Kupiec-Weglinski JW, Dery KJ. The Coming Age of Antisense Oligos for the Treatment of Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion (IRI) and Other Liver Disorders: Role of Oxidative Stress and Potential Antioxidant Effect. Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:678. [PMID: 38929116 PMCID: PMC11200799 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13060678] [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: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Imbalances in the redox state of the liver arise during metabolic processes, inflammatory injuries, and proliferative liver disorders. Acute exposure to intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) results from high levels of oxidative stress (OxS) that occur in response to hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) and metabolic diseases of the liver. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are an emerging class of gene expression modulators that target RNA molecules by Watson-Crick binding specificity, leading to RNA degradation, splicing modulation, and/or translation interference. Here, we review ASO inhibitor/activator strategies to modulate transcription and translation that control the expression of enzymes, transcription factors, and intracellular sensors of DNA damage. Several small-interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs with N-acetyl galactosamine moieties for the liver have recently been approved. Preclinical studies using short-activating RNAs (saRNAs), phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs), and locked nucleic acids (LNAs) are at the forefront of proof-in-concept therapeutics. Future research targeting intracellular OxS-related pathways in the liver may help realize the promise of precision medicine, revolutionizing the customary approach to caring for and treating individuals afflicted with liver-specific conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Kenneth J. Dery
- The Dumont-UCLA Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Petersen RS, Bordone L, Riedl MA, Tachdjian R, Craig TJ, Lumry WR, Manning ME, Bernstein JA, Raasch J, Zuraw BL, Deng Y, Newman KB, Alexander VJ, Lui C, Schneider E, Cohn DM. A phase 2 open-label extension study of prekallikrein inhibition with donidalorsen for hereditary angioedema. Allergy 2024; 79:724-734. [PMID: 38009241 DOI: 10.1111/all.15948] [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: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a potentially fatal disease characterized by unpredictable, recurrent, often disabling swelling attacks. In a randomized phase 2 study, donidalorsen reduced HAE attack frequency and improved patient quality-of-life (ISIS721744-CS2, NCT04030598). We report the 2-year interim analysis of the phase 2 open-label extension (OLE) study (ISIS 721744-CS3, NCT04307381). METHODS In the OLE, the on-treatment study period consisted of fixed (weeks 1-13, donidalorsen 80 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks [Q4W]) and flexible (weeks 17-105, donidalorsen 80 mg Q4W, 80 mg every 8 weeks [Q8W], or 100 mg Q4W) dosing periods. The primary outcome was incidence and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The secondary outcomes included efficacy, pharmacodynamic, and quality-of-life assessments. RESULTS Seventeen patients continued in the OLE study. No serious TEAEs or TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation were reported. Mean monthly HAE attack rate was 96% lower than the study run-in baseline rate (mean, 0.06/month; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02-0.10; median, 0.04 on-treatment vs. mean, 2.70/month; 95% CI, 1.94-3.46; median, 2.29 at baseline). Mean monthly attack rate for Q8W dosing (n = 8) was 0.29 (range, 0.0-1.7; 95% CI, -0.21 to 0.79; median, 0.00). Mean plasma prekallikrein and D-dimer concentrations decreased, and Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire total score improved from baseline to week 105 with donidalorsen. CONCLUSION The 2-year interim results of this phase 2 OLE study of donidalorsen in patients with HAE demonstrated no new safety signals; donidalorsen was well tolerated. There was durable efficacy with a 96% reduction in HAE attacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remy S Petersen
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Laura Bordone
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - Marc A Riedl
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Raffi Tachdjian
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, California, USA
| | - Timothy J Craig
- Department of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
- Vinmec International Hospital, Times City, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - William R Lumry
- Allergy and Asthma Research Associates Research Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | | | - Jonathan A Bernstein
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Bernstein Clinical Research Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jason Raasch
- Midwest Immunology Clinic, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
| | - Bruce L Zuraw
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Yiwen Deng
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | | | | | - Cindy Lui
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | | | - Danny M Cohn
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Baker BF, Xia S, Partridge W, Engelhardt JA, Tsimikas S, Crooke ST, Bhanot S, Geary RS. Safety and Tolerability of GalNAc 3-Conjugated Antisense Drugs Compared to the Same-Sequence 2'- O-Methoxyethyl-Modified Antisense Drugs: Results from an Integrated Assessment of Phase 1 Clinical Trial Data. Nucleic Acid Ther 2024; 34:18-25. [PMID: 38227794 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2023.0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The triantennary N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc3) cluster has demonstrated the utility of receptor-mediated uptake of ligand-conjugated antisense drugs targeting RNA expressed by hepatocytes. GalNAc3-conjugated 2'-O-methoxyethyl (2'MOE) modified antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have demonstrated a higher potency than the unconjugated form to support lower doses for an equivalent pharmacological effect. We utilized the Ionis integrated safety database to compare four GalNAc3-conjugated and four same-sequence unconjugated 2'MOE ASOs. This assessment evaluated data from eight randomized placebo-controlled dose-ranging phase 1 studies involving 195 healthy volunteers (79 GalNAc3 ASO, 24 placebo; 71 ASO, 21 placebo). No safety signals were identified by the incidence of abnormal threshold values in clinical laboratory tests for either ASO group. However, there was a significant increase in mean alanine transaminase levels compared with placebo in the upper dose range of the unconjugated 2'MOE ASO group. The mean percentage of subcutaneous injections leading to local cutaneous reaction was 30-fold lower in the GalNAc3-conjugated ASO group compared with the unconjugated ASO group (0.9% vs. 28.6%), with no incidence of flu-like reactions (0.0% vs. 0.7%). Three subjects (4.2%) in the unconjugated ASO group discontinued dosing. An improvement in the overall safety and tolerability profile of GalNAc3-conjugated 2'MOE ASOs is evident in this comparison of short-term clinical data in healthy volunteers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shuting Xia
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Sanjay Bhanot
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The aim of this study was to discuss the potential mechanisms and implications of the opposing liver safety results from recent angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) inhibition studies. RECENT FINDINGS The clinical development of vupanorsen, a N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) antisense targeting hepatic ANGPTL3, was recently discontinued due to a significant signal of liver transaminase increase. Vupanorsen elicited a dose-dependent increase in hepatic fat fraction up to 75%, whereas the small interfering RNA (siRNA) ARO-ANG3, has reported preliminary evidence of a dose-dependent decrease in hepatic fat fraction up to 30%. SUMMARY ANGPTL3 inhibition is an attractive therapeutic target to reduce all apoB-containing lipoproteins. The discrepancy in liver signal results between the antisense and siRNA approach may be explained by the level of target inhibition. An alternative explanation may relate to off-target effects of vupanorsen, which have a molecule- and/or platform-specific origin. For intrahepatic strategies, highly potent ANGPTL3 inhibition will for now require special attention for liver safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reindert F Oostveen
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Coelho T, Marques W, Dasgupta NR, Chao CC, Parman Y, França MC, Guo YC, Wixner J, Ro LS, Calandra CR, Kowacs PA, Berk JL, Obici L, Barroso FA, Weiler M, Conceição I, Jung SW, Buchele G, Brambatti M, Chen J, Hughes SG, Schneider E, Viney NJ, Masri A, Gertz MR, Ando Y, Gillmore JD, Khella S, Dyck PJB, Waddington Cruz M. Eplontersen for Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis With Polyneuropathy. JAMA 2023; 330:1448-1458. [PMID: 37768671 PMCID: PMC10540057 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.18688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Importance Transthyretin gene silencing is an emerging treatment strategy for hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis. Objective To evaluate eplontersen, an investigational ligand-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide, in ATTRv polyneuropathy. Design, Setting, and Participants NEURO-TTRansform was an open-label, single-group, phase 3 trial conducted at 40 sites across 15 countries (December 2019-April 2023) in 168 adults with Coutinho stage 1 or 2 ATTRv polyneuropathy, Neuropathy Impairment Score 10-130, and a documented TTR variant. Patients treated with placebo from NEURO-TTR (NCT01737398; March 2013-November 2017), an inotersen trial with similar eligibility criteria and end points, served as a historical placebo ("placebo") group. Interventions Subcutaneous eplontersen (45 mg every 4 weeks; n = 144); a small reference group received subcutaneous inotersen (300 mg weekly; n = 24); subcutaneous placebo weekly (in NEURO-TTR; n = 60). Main Outcomes and Measures Primary efficacy end points at week 65/66 were changes from baseline in serum transthyretin concentration, modified Neuropathy Impairment Score +7 (mNIS+7) composite score (scoring range, -22.3 to 346.3; higher scores indicate poorer function), and Norfolk Quality of Life Questionnaire-Diabetic Neuropathy (Norfolk QoL-DN) total score (scoring range, -4 to 136; higher scores indicate poorer quality of life). Analyses of efficacy end points were based on a mixed-effects model with repeated measures adjusted by propensity score weights. Results Among 144 eplontersen-treated patients (mean age, 53.0 years; 69% male), 136 (94.4%) completed week-66 follow-up; among 60 placebo patients (mean age, 59.5 years; 68% male), 52 (86.7%) completed week-66 follow-up. At week 65, adjusted mean percentage reduction in serum transthyretin was -81.7% with eplontersen and -11.2% with placebo (difference, -70.4% [95% CI, -75.2% to -65.7%]; P < .001). Adjusted mean change from baseline to week 66 was lower (better) with eplontersen vs placebo for mNIS+7 composite score (0.3 vs 25.1; difference, -24.8 [95% CI, -31.0 to -18.6; P < .001) and for Norfolk QoL-DN (-5.5 vs 14.2; difference, -19.7 [95% CI, -25.6 to -13.8]; P < .001). Adverse events by week 66 that led to study drug discontinuation occurred in 6 patients (4%) in the eplontersen group vs 2 (3%) in the placebo group. Through week 66, there were 2 deaths in the eplontersen group consistent with known disease-related sequelae (cardiac arrhythmia; intracerebral hemorrhage); there were no deaths in the placebo group. Conclusions and Relevance In patients with ATTRv polyneuropathy, the eplontersen treatment group demonstrated changes consistent with significantly lowered serum transthyretin concentration, less neuropathy impairment, and better quality of life compared with a historical placebo. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04136184; EU Clinical Trials Register: EudraCT 2019-001698-10.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Coelho
- Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António, Porto, Portugal
| | - Wilson Marques
- Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | | | - Yeşim Parman
- İstanbul Üniversitesi–Istanbul Tıp Fakültesi, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | | | - Jonas Wixner
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Long-Sun Ro
- Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | | | - Pedro A. Kowacs
- Instituto de Neurologia de Curitiba, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - John L. Berk
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Laura Obici
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Centre, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Markus Weiler
- Amyloidosis Center and Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Isabel Conceição
- Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa-Norte, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | | | - Jersey Chen
- Late-Stage Development, Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland
| | | | | | | | - Ahmad Masri
- OHSU Center for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Amyloidosis, Portland, Oregon
| | | | - Yukio Ando
- Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Julian D. Gillmore
- National Amyloidosis Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sami Khella
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | | | - Márcia Waddington Cruz
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Karwatowska-Prokopczuk E, Li L, Yang J, Witztum JL, Tsimikas S. On-treatment platelet reactivity through the thromboxane A 2 or P2Y12 platelet receptor pathways is not affected by pelacarsen. J Thromb Thrombolysis 2023:10.1007/s11239-023-02818-6. [PMID: 37338713 DOI: 10.1007/s11239-023-02818-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pelacarsen decreases plasma levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and oxidized phospholipids (OxPL). It was previously reported that pelacarsen does not affect the platelet count. We now report the effect of pelacarsen on on-treatment platelet reactivity. METHODS Subjects with established cardiovascular disease and screening Lp(a) levels ≥60 mg per deciliter (~ ≥150 nmol/L) were randomized to receive pelacarsen (20, 40, or 60 mg every 4 weeks; 20 mg every 2 weeks; or 20 mg every week), or placebo for 6-12 months. Aspirin Reaction Units (ARU) and P2Y12 Reaction Units (PRU) were measured at baseline and the primary analysis timepoint (PAT) at 6 months. RESULTS Of the 286 subjects randomized, 275 had either an ARU or PRU test, 159 (57.8%) were on aspirin alone and 94 (34.2%) subjects were on dual anti-platelet therapy. As expected, the baseline ARU and PRU were suppressed in subjects on aspirin or on dual anti-platelet therapy, respectively. There were no significant differences in baseline ARU in the aspirin groups or in PRU in the dual anti-platelet groups. At the PAT there were no statistically significant differences in ARU in subjects on aspirin or PRU in subjects on dual anti-platelet therapy among any of the pelacarsen groups compared to the pooled placebo group (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION Pelacarsen does not modify on-treatment platelet reactivity through the thromboxane A2 or P2Y12 platelet receptor pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lu Li
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Carlsbad, CA, USA
| | - Jun Yang
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Carlsbad, CA, USA
| | | | - Sotirios Tsimikas
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Carlsbad, CA, USA.
- Vascular Medicine Program, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, BSB 1080, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0682, USA.
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